Kedar Jadhav's top 5 ODI knocks for India
Kedar Jadhav announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Monday, June 3. The right-handed batter represented India in 73 ODIs and garnered 1,389 runs at an average of 42.09, with two centuries and six fifties. He also played nine T20Is, scoring 122 runs, with a solitary fifty.
Throughout his playing days, Jadhav played a vital role in holding the batting unit together with his ability to absorb pressure and provide acceleration in the death overs. His last international appearance came in a T20I fixture against New Zealand in February 2020.
On that note, let's take a look at the five finest ODI knocks of Kedar Jadhav for India.
#5 67 off 69 against Australia, 2017
In September 2017, India were up against Australia in the fourth game of the ODI series at Bengaluru. Batting first, the visitors posted a mammoth 334 on the board, with David Warner (124) and Aaron Finch (94) as the major contributors. Umesh Yadav picked up four wickets for the hosts.
In response, Rohit Sharma (65) and Ajinkya Rahane (53) provided an impressive start to India. Then, Virat Kohli (21) started well but failed to convert into a big knock.
Kedar Jadhav came in at No. 5 and steered the team at a comfortable rate along with Hardik Pandya (41). Then, Jadhav joined forces with Manish Pandey (33) to keep the team in the hunt.
However, after Jadhav (67 off 69) was dismissed, India ultimately fell short of 21 runs.
#4 81* off 87 against Australia, 2019
Kedar Jadhav's impressive knock of 81* off 87 against Australia in March 2019, helped India to seal the game easily in Hyderabad. After choosing to bat first, the Men in Yellow compiled a total of 236/7.
Thereafter, the hefty contributions from Kohli (44) and Rohit (37) gave India a good start. In the middle-order, Jadhav stitched together an unbeaten 141-run stand with MS Dhoni (59*) to complete the chase under 49 overs.
#3 90 off 75 against England, 2017
On January 22, 2017, India faced off against England in Pune. Batting first, the Englishmen posted 321 on the board, with Jason Roy (65) as the best batter. Hardik Pandya took three wickets for the Men in Blue.
Then, the Indian team had a bad start, but Kohli (55) and Yuvraj Singh (45) were exceptional to weather the storm. However, the early dismissal of MS Dhoni put India under pressure.
But, Jadhav's imperious knock of 90 off 75, with 12 fours and a six, helped India to be in good stead. He stitched together a 102-run stand with Pandya (56), but the untimely wickets resulted in England winning the game by five runs.
#2 105* off 87 against Zimbabwe, 2015
Kedar Jadhav's first ODI century came against Zimbabwe in July 2015 in Harare. After a disappointing start, Jadhav and Manish Pandey (71) did exceedingly well to put India on the right path and help them post 276 on the board. Jadhav remained unbeaten on 105* off 87, with 12 fours and a six.
In response, Zimbabwe were all-out for 193. Stuart Binny picked up three wickets for India.
#1 120 off 76 against England, 2017
Interestingly, Kedar Jadhav produced his best ODI knock of 120 off 76 against England in January, at his home ground, Pune.
Batting first, England went into overdrive mode to set a target of 351 for the Indian team. Joe Root (78) and Jason Roy (73) were the key run-scorers for the visitors.
Then, India were in a spot of bother at 63/4. However, Kohli (122) and Jadhav were at their absolute best to put India on the front foot with their positive intent. In the end, Pandya contributed 40* to secure a thrilling victory for India.