Kedar Jadhav considers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni as Best Chasers in the game

Kedar Jadhav considers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni: The Indian all-rounder termed the captain and the wicket-keeper as the best in the game.

India all-rounder Kedar Jadhav won his third ‘Man of the Match’ award in the first ODI of the Australia’s tour of India at Hyderabad. Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the 24th over, Jadhav had no mean task in front of him.

The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium was possessing a bigger challenge than the required run rate or the Australian bowlers. However, Jadhav took his time initially. As he faced more balls than wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he ended up making sure that he gives the returns during the climax.

A dominant partner in the match-winning 141-run partnership with Dhoni, Jadhav ended up scoring his fifth ODI half-century, 81* (87), with the help of nine fours and a six.

While there wasn’t much apprehension on Jadhav’s spot for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, him playing such knocks further clarify as to why he is a vital cog in the wheel for India. Apart from starting to attain the stature of India’s new crisis man, Jadhav also fits in best as a utility player.

The 33-year old now has 26 ODI wickets at an average of 31.53, an economy rate of 4.94 and a strike rate of 38.2. Even today, he dismissed Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (37) to break a 87-run stand.

“I enjoy my bowling”

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Jadhav started by talking about his bowling. Laying emphasis on not thinking like a bowler, he considers it to be the key for him.

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“My bowling is all about reading batsmen’s mind. I have two or three options with the angle. I tried to bowl stump-to-stump. Best part about my bowling is, I don’t think like I’m a bowler, there’s no extra responsibility. I enjoy my bowling,” Jadhav was quoted as saying.

Being asked about his match-winning stand with Dhoni, Jadhav said that he was thinking about the Melbourne chase in the middle. “Recently in Australia, we pulled off a similar kind of a chase. I had that in the back of my mind. When you have Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] at the other end, you just have to listen to him. I just did that again today,” he was quoted as saying.

“MS and Cheeku are the best chasers”

Wax lyrical about the veteran cricketer and the India captain Virat Kohli, Jadhav termed them as the best chasers in the game. “I tried to learn a lot from him (MS). MS and Cheeku are the best chasers in the game, I feel. The intensity has to be there all the time. That’s what we learn from the captain and that’s what we tried to do,” Jadhav said.

It was evident from Jadhav’s words that Dhoni was a key aspect of both the run-chases. Being asked if he would have practiced a different approach in the absence of Dhoni, Jadhav was quick to answer in the affirmative.

Talking about Dhoni’s ability to read minds, Jadhav mentioned that the 37-year old cricketer advises one against that and tells you to bat till the end. “I would have tried to play more shots early had Dhoni bhai not been there. That’s what he does, he tells you exactly.

“He reads your mind; plenty of times when you feel this ball can be hit for boundaries, he’ll tell you ‘I can see that but the team needs more solidity and you have to bat till the end’. Every time you think of the team, most of the times, you’ll cross the line and end up on the winning side,” Jadhav concluded.