Maharashtra veteran reveals the secret behind Kedar Jadhav's power

After his gutsy and courageous century in the first ODI against England at his home ground in Pune, Indian middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav is the talk of the town. There are talks about his journey, his struggle and his rise amidst all that those who have been influential in his career are also coming out to talk about the modest cricketer. Former Maharashtra cricketer and a national selector Surendra Bhave has also shared his part of the story.

He said that Jadhav was a vegetarian to start with but the veteran advised him to start consuming chicken which is a rich source of protein. He eventually gave in and that has resulted in the sturdy cricketer possessing immense energy and strength which has reflected in his game as well.

Bhave on a lighter note said that he deserves the credit for switching him into a non-vegetarian. “You can surely give this credit to me. It was me who made him eat chicken. I don’t want to take credit for his stardom. I am like his coach, elder brother, mentor and guide, who meet on an off or exchange a few texts. The last time (in 2010-11) I told him that his backlift looked astray and he immediately corrected it resulting in an amazing transformation,” he said.

In the veteran’s opinion, the Maharashtra lad has it in him to play all three formats of the game. Jadhav is a utility player and one for all causes; he is not only an able batsman but a useful hand with the ball and displayed his bowling prowess in the ODI series against New Zealand where the team opted to go in without the likes of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. He has also kept wickets for Maharashtra which makes him a wicketkeeping option as well.

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Bhave said when Jadhav first came into the scenes at Under-19 level, one look and he was certain the boy has it in him to make it big. “I instantly knew he was special (he scored 195 from 262 against Kerala during Cooch Behar Trophy). With the kind of ease he was hitting the Kerala bowlers was really different. His body language always looks casual but he’s someone who loves to take on the opposition and finish the match”.