Kedar Jadhav made a brilliant comeback to cricket after more than a year’s gap away from the field when he had an excellent outing for Maharashtra in First-Class cricket and then played in the IPL 2023 after two years, coming in as a replacement player for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
He had a decent run with the Indian team from 2014-2020, with the majority of his games coming in the two-year period of 2017-2019.
Jadhav played 73 ODIs for India with 1389 runs and 27 wickets to his name. He made 2 centuries and 6 half-centuries with a strike rate of 101.60. He also played 9 T20Is for India and was part of the 2019 World Cup and 2017 Champions Trophy.
As the BCCI selectors looked towards younger players, he was sidelined from the Indian team plans post the 2019 World Cup.
The 38-year-old remained in sight of Indian fans with appearances in IPL, but made a stunning comeback in First-Class cricket in January 2023 with a sparkling knock of 283 runs for Maharashtra. He then got a chance to play in the IPL 2023, as a replacement for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the fag end of the season.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Kedar Jadhav shared his experience of playing for RCB in IPL 2023.
“Yes, it was a very short stay. I joined for half the season. But yes, it was a wonderful experience. I was so happy to play alongside Virat and Faf again after so many years. With Faf, I was at CSK and with Kohli for the Indian team. So yes, it is always good to be part of the mix. RCB is also one of my favourite team,” Jadhav told Hindustan Times.
The atmosphere was more relaxed compared to the last time I was here. Credit must go to the support staff. They handled the team really well. Players were given clarity on their roles. I think it looked more organised and a settled unit,” he added.
Kedar Jadhav opines on whether an Indian team comeback is on the cards for him
Jadhav had scored two fifties and a century more in six innings he played in Ranji Trophy and is currently plying his trade in the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL 2023). He is captaining Kolhapur Tuskers and even scored a stunning knock of 85 runs while opening the batting against Solapur Royals on Tuesday.
When asked about his future plans and what plans he has for his future, Jadhav said that his focus was on MPL at the moment.
“Currently I’m focussing only on Maharashtra Premier League and then the First-Class season. After that I will see what the future holds for me,” he signed off.