Kedar Jadhav reflects on his match-winning knock

As they say ‘Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties’, the phrase was yet again evident during the opening ODI between India and England at Pune where the hosts emerged victorious after being pushed to a corner during the majority of the match. Chasing a mammoth 351 to win, India was reeling at 63/4 at one stage but what transpired after that left everyone dumbfounded. Newly appointed limited overs captain Virat Kohli along with “Pocket Dynamite” Kedar Jadhav stitched together one of the most exceptional partnerships in a run chase and courtesy their brilliant centuries India won the match by 6 wickets and with 11 balls to spare.

Kedar Jadhav was playing in front of his home crowd and it was really a proud moment for the Maharashtra lad to score a brilliant century on a ground which was packed with Kedar’s fans, friends and family. During the post-match presentation, Kedar rated this knock as a ‘special one’ as the innings was witnessed by his parents and other family members.

“It’s a great feeling. Playing for India, scoring a century in front of your home crowd and the team winning. It is indeed a proud feeling as my entire family – my parents, my wife and my daughter -were here and I wanted to make it count. By God’s grace and the team’s support, I was able to make a mark and I’m happy with today’s performance.”

This was Jadhav’s 2nd international century after he scored his maiden century in Zimbabwe. It was a special moment for him as the century helped his nation to chase down a formidable total set by the visitors. “When I went into bat, Virat told me, ‘You I have been in this situation for the last two-three games and have scored around 40 odd runs, but I want you to make it big today. So, try and rotate the strike rather than going for the big shots as it will help ease your pressure’and that is what helped me score the big runs later.”

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Kedar felt that having Kohli at the other end always helps as the bowlers are always preparing for him and end up giving a few loose deliveries to the batsman at the other end. “When you are batting with Virat, all the bowlers are planning their overs against him so you end up getting few loose deliveries which you have to capitalise on and I did that,” Kedar said.

Speaking about the Kohli’s exceptional batting display especially in run chases Kedar said, “It was one of the best places for me to have witnessed Virat’s innings. We have seen his ability to chase down totals with such ease on television. In my career, too, I have missed such opportunities of helping the team win and watch such great innings by Virat. But today I was fortunate to have witnessed both, Virat’s innings and a knock by me that took my team through.”

He further added, “It’s always a boost when you see Virat batting. Every time I see him at the breakfast table, I feel like telling him ‘let’s go and play a match now and win it’. That is the kind of impact he has on people, which is very inspiring. Not only Virat but also people like MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. It is good to have such legends of the game around you and inspire you. I would love to win more such matches for my country.”

Virat Kohli was also in awe of Kedar Jadhav’s innings and revealed that he was himself quite surprised with some of the audacious shots Kedar played during his innings of 120 of a mere 76 balls.

Also read: Twitter Reactions: Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav ease India towards the target