LUCKY BREAK

Kedar Jadhav cashing in on his lucky break

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The Maharashtra batsman had reeled off six centuries en route to aggregating 1223 runs in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season - the fifth-highest aggregate in a single edition of the tournament. © Cricbuzz

Kedar Jadhav slipped on the helmet and the abdominal protector and charged to forward short leg. India were looking to sustain the pressure on a tottering New Zealand middle order in Mohali and the ploy was to attack new batsman Tim Southee with a close in-fielder. The Maharasthra batsman seemed rather excited even if his latest assignment lasted all of one delivery with the ball ricocheting off his leg and rolling to short midwicket for a single. Jadhav was buzzing in Mohali, having just grabbed his third wicket of the game - putting him second on the wickets chart for the series with 6. He'd had a tough couple of years and sought to capitalise on every play possible.

By his own admission, Jadhav had been overwhelmed by the occasion on his One-Day International debut in November 2014. He'd walked out to bat in the middle of a tricky run-chase against Sri Lanka in Ranchi. He scored a breezy 20 and then in an exaggerated attempt to demonstrate his hitting prowess, was cleaned up by Ajantha Mendis. Such was the folly of his decision-making, that Virat Kohli, who was orchestrating another run-chase, threw his head back in disgust. For all his domestic exploits, Jadhav, aged 30 then, didn't seem cut out for the big league. But that was to be his only international game until a second-string side toured Zimbabwe the following year.

But that national team call-up had come in the backdrop of one of the most memorable individual seasons in India's premier domestic seasons. The Maharashtra batsman had reeled off six centuries en route to aggregating 1223 runs in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season - the fifth-highest aggregate in a single edition of the tournament. He then sparkled in a finishing role for Delhi Daredevils and essayed three match-winning hands with a broken wrist in India A's title triumph in the quadrangular series in Australia.

While his domestic form tapered off in the following season with a rehabilitation program for his injured hand, Jadhav remained on the peripheries of the national side, his best moment coming via a century for an Ajinkya Rahane-led Indian side on the tour of Zimbabwe in 2015. He travelled with the side to the African nation again this year but had only three DNBs to show against his name at the end of the ODI series.

As a fringe player, you can get only so many chances. At 31 in India, if you've not made a case for selection, chances are you'll likely miss the train for good. Unless, the planets realign mysteriously like they have done for Jadhav. India, eight games out from the start of their Champions Trophy, slipped mysteriously into an ODI rut after the 2015 World Cup. Six of their nine victories in this period had come on tours to Zimbabwe while the team finished second-best in series against Bangladesh, South Africa and Australia.

The alarming dip in the fortunes of Suresh Raina, who could double up as a handy off spinner, affected the team balance and when the southpaw picked up a viral fever just ahead of the New Zealand ODIs, there was an opportunity for someone to stake a claim to a middle order berth. With India open to experimentation ahead of the Champions Trophy, here was a chance to potentially play at least two-three games in a row. Jadhav took notice and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck.

"With the Indian team, it's difficult to give chances, let's be fair about it, because we have to win games while also looking at the process. So we try our best to do what is in favour of the result and the team at the same time. Now there's slightly more pressure because we only have eight games. This is a season when we'll play a lot of Test matches. It's a different challenge, but we're open [to experimenting] and we'll use games in the best possible manner," Dhoni had said ahead of the ongoing series.

For Jadhav to create any impact in the team, he'd have to bowl because a pure batsman is a dispensable commodity in the current ODI set-up. And so Jadhav, just a solitary wicket in first-class cricket (Manoj Tiwary) began rolling his arm over in the nets under the watchful eyes of head coach Anil Kumble. Both Dhoni and Kumble liked what they saw of Jadhav during an extended bowling session in Dharamsala - an easy, repeatable action, decent loop and most importantly - an ability to land deliveries in half decent areas. They took a chance with him. And it paid off.

In Dharamsala, in seaming conditions, Jadhav was brought on to bowl ahead of both Axar Patel and Amit Mishra. He should have had a wicket off the first over but struck twice in the second, off successive balls, to finish with figures of 2 for 6. In New Delhi, he came on to bowl when Kane Williamson and Tom Latham looked set to give New Zealand a monumental score and instantly ended the 120-run stand by trapping Latham with a darter from around the stumps.

He went one better in Mohali, after Scott Styris joked on air that he would leave the commentary box if Jadhav picked up another wicket in the series. He duped Williamson into playing early into a sweep while he ensured the ball didn't turn by using only the forefingers to push the ball. He was gifted a second wicket by Corey Anderson who hit a full toss straight to mid-off while Latham was sucked into an uppish drive off a tossed up delivery. In all, he's bowled 60 balls, conceded 46 and taken six wickets. Not bad for someone who is strictly a sixth bowling option.

Jadhav's proclivity for wickets has taken even Dhoni by surprise. The Indian captain had largely wanted to tie down a bevy of left-handers in the New Zealand ranks but the Maharashtra off-spinner has exceeded expectations. Now he'll be challenged to bowl to the right-handers and try being just as effective. "I have no clue how he gets wickets, that's the reality of it. It is important that someone in the top 5-6 gives you some overs so that there's no pressure on Hardik to complete his 10," Dhoni said of his new find after the Mohali win.

"I'm hoping that Jadhav improves even more and even to the right-handers, he's able to bowl. He's been the surprise package. He's got crucial wickets. I feel if you can get wickets in the middle you can restrict the opposition."

What Jadhav provides is a fix for multiple gaps in the Indian ODI set-up, just the kind Dhoni so dearly seeks. He can offer good value, if not better what Raina offered to the strong Indian ODI teams of the past. He's also a more than decent No. 6 batsman, capable of being groomed for the finishing job. But for a minor indiscretion which cost him his wicket, his 37-ball 41 in New Delhi was just the kind of innings expected of him from a pressure situation. Additionally, Jadhav can also open up a place in the squad on overseas assignments by acting as the back-up wicketkeeper.

Having addressed his fitness concerns, Jadhav is a safe, if not an electric presence on the field like Raina but his versatility could be a thorn blocking the southpaw's return to the side and keep even the likes of Manish Pandey or Ajinkya Rahane on tenterhooks. With Dhoni moving up the order, Jadhav will soon get more opportunities with the bat. If he can prove his worth there, India may just found an unlikely solution.

© Cricbuzz