Published: Feb 18, 2015, 06:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Feb 18, 2015, 03:25 AM (IST)
Kedar Jadhav wielded the willow like a wand and captivated a small crowd at Rohtak with exquisite stroke play, which not only entertained but changed the course of a quarter-final that seemed to be slipping out of Maharashtra’s fingers like quicksand. Jadhav’s exploits against Andhra at Lahli, a fast bowling haven, have been a joy to behold. Ankur Dhawan is blown away by his very presence.
It was a pleasure to watch the ball seam, dart and make the batsmen hop with a start. The move to prepare sporting pitches in the Ranji Trophy has be complimented. Cricket fans yearn for a contest between the bat and the ball but in contemporary cricket, batsmen rule the roost and the big shot has got devalued. That Jadhav’s blitzkrieg 81 not out came on a pitch tailor made for fast bowling transported us back to the bygone era, when there was parity and every run and boundary was earned. Jadhav’s assault on the Andhra bowlers deserves a preeminent place in the hall of fame.
A short diminutive man, Jadhav is in the mould of a Virender Sehwag or a Sachin Tendulkar. Perhaps the most accurate comparison can be drawn with New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. Jadhav’s method of fearlessly shimmying down the wicket to fast bowlers and hoisting them over the head with consummate ease is right out of the McCullum school of batsmanship.
Wickets had fallen like ninepins in the first five sessions of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Andhra and Maharashtra. Andhra were light years ahead in the match at the end of Day One after incinerating Maharashtra for a paltry 91. The only way to claw back out of the hole Maharashtra had dug for itself on Day One was to snatch an outright win, considering that Andhra had finished a mere four runs short of the Maharashtra total with seven wickets in hand.
Maharashtra bowlers found their groove on Day Two and the pitch did the rest. Result: Andhra were skittled out for a meagre 138. Although Maharashtra had salvaged matters somewhat on a pitch, where not a single half-century had been scored, a lead of 47 was worth its weight in gold, and wiping out the deficit without any collateral damage was going to be herculean a task. Jadhav came out to bat in this quotidian din, bringing the old adage — cometh the hour, cometh the man — to mind. From the outset Jadhav had the countenance of a man driven by the sense of occasion. Read: Maharashtra vs Assam Quarter-final, Day Two report
Jadhav oozed with positivity; also his poise and footwork in an apparent minefield was a reflection of an uncluttered mind. He endeavoured to bring the balance back and succeeded emphatically. The transfer of pressure from bat to ball was seamless. Jadhav ploughed into the Andhra attack and in a span of half an hour he had managed to put the Andhra skipper on the defensive and scampering for cover.
Slips and gullies were pushed back to guard the ropes that had been left unattended through the course of the match. He remained unbeaten on 81, giving a kiss of life to the Maharashtra effort. Irrespective of whether he pushes onto complete a thoroughly deserved hundred, this innings of 81 was a reminder of his irrefutable talent. Jadhav had caught the eye of Indian selectors in the recent past. He is now surely knocking at the doors of perception and selection with a mighty battering ram.
(Ankur Dhawan is a reporter with CricketCountry. Heavily influenced by dystopian novels, he naturally has about 59 conspiracy theories for every moment in the game of cricket. On finding a direct link between his head and the tip of his fingers, he also writes about it)
