Kedar Jadhav opens up about his unorthodox bowling style

Jadhav has been out of action since he injured himself in IPL 2018 opener.

Kedar Jadhav is still hopeful to be a part of the World Cup 2019 squad | Getty

Since his ODI debut back in 2014, India’s middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav often becomes the talk of the town for his unique bowling action and knack of picking wickets on crucial moments.

During the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Jadhav had provided the Men in Blue with vital breakthroughs whenever they were needed it the most. The Maharashtra born batsman has thus far scalped 16 wickets in 40 ODIs at an average of 32 with his part-time off-spin.

Jadhav, who has been out of action since he injured himself in IPL 2018 opener, recently opened up about his slow side arm action, saying it's an art he developed late with the aim to be different from the rest.

"I certainly haven't been bowling it all along. But I like creativity so when I was bowling, I realised off spinners are usual. Anyone who does not know to bowl will bowl off spin. That's when I tried a few new things like the side arm ball and it worked. I tried it in the match and it got me wickets so stuck with it," Kedar quoted as saying by India Today.

During the recently concluded limited-overs series against England, India skipper Virat Kohli had said that sorting the middle-order is one of his main goals. Subsequently, Virat opted to bat at No. 4 in the T20Is and pushed Rahul at three where the latter scored a century in the opening game at Old Trafford.

However, Kohli came back at his usual No. 3 slot in ODIs with Rahul batting at 4, Suresh Raina at 5 and Dhoni at 6 in the first two matches. In the third ODI, India dropped Rahul and batted Dinesh Karthik at 4.

With less than 12 months to go for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in UK, India’s hunt for a solid No. 4 batsman still continues and Jadhav is still pretty much in contention for the spot.

"There is one year to go to the World Cup. I will try to be as fit as I can. And give best in wherever opportunities I get. Than its up to the selectors and team management and what the team balance is for the event. At the end of the day it's the Indian team and only the best fifteen should go," Jadhav remarked.

There is no doubt about Kedar’s fighting spirit. Despite struggling with the hamstring injury, he played for CSK in the IPL 2018 opener and won the match by hitting a six and four in the final over against Mumbai Indians.

Recalling his last ball six against MI, Jadhav said: "In the last over, after every ball Imran Tahir would come and discuss. I told him, I won't be able to run so don't do that. I will tell you if we have to run."

"I took three balls for the body to warm up before I could choose a shot. It was matter of one shot which I managed on fourth ball. It was just another game," he elaborated.

Kedar Jadhav will most probably regain his match fitness by the next two or three weeks. Talking about the injury and subsequent surgery, the 33-year-old termed it as a rebirth on the fitness front.

"It was the first match of IPL in which I did well so it was disappointing. But you have to as a professional sportsman move on and the only thing you can do is learn from the past. That's what I have done. I have learned from my injuries. It's like a rebirth. Now I have different approach to fitness and life and I take positives out of this" Jadhav concluded.  

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 21 Jul, 2018

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