From scoring just 42 runs in last Indian Premier League, Kedar Jadhav is not only a possible starter, but a certainty in the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up
Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav. Pic/AFP
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A lotâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088has changed since Kedar Jadhav's disappointing 2016 IPL season, where he scored just 42 runs from four games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
By his own admission, Jadhav's life has changed since his man-of-the-series performance in the one-dayers against England few months ago. He became the most Googled cricketer the day after his brilliant century in Pune against England. His Facebook friend requests have gone up by some hundreds since and a lot more people now know about his favourite coffee place.
Watched man
More importantly, perhaps, a lot more bowlers and team managements now watch Jadhav's batting videos to find a way to keep this talented batsman in check.
Big asset
Such was his batting against England that Jadhav has gone from being a possible starter to a certainty in the RCB unit even before the IPL 2017 has got underway.
In the absence of RCB's top batsmen — Virat Kohli (few games), AB de Villiers (first game), KL Rahul (entire season), Jadhav has become one of the key batsmen for his team going into their opener against the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad today.
The absence of Rahul also makes Jadhav RCB's No. 1 wicketkeeper-batsman, which should give the Pune lad some breathing space. Kohli has often praised this 32-year-old for his talent and stroke-making ability. The Indian skipper's backing has lifted Jadhav's confidence to another level, and the results are there to be seen. Jadhav's batting against England in Pune and Kolkata are good examples of that. “Confidence is the key. When you are feeling confident about yourself, things start going your way,” Jadhav had said after his heroics against England.
Boundary expert
His boundary-hitting ability makes Jadhav a prized wicket in the T20 format. He has opened for his state team in the T20 format, and has had a reasonable amount of success. And although he is primarily selected to bat at No. 5 and 6, it wouldn't be a bad idea for the RCB think tank to use him in the top order, especially on a pitch like Bangalore.
Bowling will be missed
Being RCB's No. 1 'keeper-batsman, however, takes away one trade from Jadhav. His part-time off-spin was used brilliantly by former India skipper MS Dhoni against NZ last year, and later by Kohli against England. But donning the wicketkeeping gloves means RCB can't turn to this gutsy cricketer to bowl a couple of tidy overs and break some partnerships.
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