NZ v IND 2019: Kedar Jadhav shares his experience of batting with MS Dhoni

Jadhav and Dhoni forged a vital partnership to propel India to 324/4 in the second ODI against New Zealand.

Kedar Jadhav batting alongside MS Dhoni | Getty

Kedar Jadhav is pleased that there is a healthy competition in the Indian team for the all-rounder's slot which is there for the taking heading into the 2019 World Cup in England.

With Hardik Pandya’s return to the ODI fold after the CoA lifted his suspension, the competition for that one spot has gone further up. While Tamil Nadu's Vijay Shankar is another all-rounder in the squad, Jadhav – a spinning all-rounder – is also very much in the contention for a permanent playing XI slot.

"It is a good thing for any team that more guys are competing for one spot. So every time any guy gets an opportunity, he will know that he needs to perform," said Jadhav, who took a wicket in India's 90-run win in the second ODI against New Zealand.

"It's not about what I think about my selection. Whether I accept it or not, it's not in my hands. It is the selector's call and the best 15 will go. Everybody is trying to put their best foot forward and when you play for India, there is bound to be competition and you have to be at the top of your game," he added.

After a brilliant opening stand of 154 runs from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, India lost the plot in the second ODI before MS Dhoni (48* off 33 balls) and Kedar Jadhav (22* off 10 balls) propelled India to 324/4 in 50 overs.

Talking about Dhoni, Jadhav said the veteran campaigner shoulders bulk of the responsibility when it comes to scoring runs during the middle and final overs.

"It helps when especially if Mahi bhai is there till the last ball. All his experience and the power in his game, it helps players like us to just work around him and he takes most of the strike and scores most of the runs."

Jadhav said that 324 was a par-score on this track after the openers provided a good start.

"We wanted to bat first and it started off well. The kind of top-order batting we have, there will be 90 per cent times when we will get a good start," Jadhav opined.

"So for most of us, batting at Nos 5 or 6, we don't get to bat, because our top batsmen are too strong and they have been doing bulk of scoring in the last 4-5 years. So it's good that we batted first."

He was full of praise for Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who stitched their 14th 100-run opening partnerships in ODI cricket on Saturday.

"Shikhar and Rohit have shown class and consistency in the last few years. We had a good (opening) partnership of 150 odd and had enough experience to take the score past 300."

Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal one again joined forces to trouble the Black Caps batsmen. While Kuldeep finished with 4 for 45, Chahal ended with 2 for 52 as the hosts were dismissed for 234.

"Kuldeep and Chahal are our key assets in middle overs and as a team, we back them totally. Most of the teams find it difficult to score against them and eventually if we put runs on the board, then teams have to take risk against them and that works for us," Jadhav concluded.

(With PTI inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 27 Jan, 2019

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