What’s the story?
Indian captain Virat Kohli admitted that the wickets Kedar Jadhav picked up in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against Bangladesh were “a bonus” but said that the decision to bowl him came after a consultation with wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.
Speaking about the reason behind opting to go with the off-spinner, at the post-match press conference, Kohli said: “Wickets were obviously a bonus. Hardik went for a few in his first three, so we wanted to give him a bit of a break and cover up overs through Kedar. And with one left-hander batting, we knew that he has the ability to get in two-three dot balls to the left-hander every over. But it ended up changing the whole game for us. When moves like these pay off, I won’t take the whole credit, I asked MS (Dhoni) as well and we both decided that Kedar is a good option at the moment and he bowled really well.
“Credit to him, he doesn't bowl much in the nets but he's a smart cricketer, he knows where the batsman will get troubled and when you can think like a batter while bowling, it is obviously a bit of an advantage to any bowler. So I think that he executed today perfectly.”
Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: India vs Bangladesh, Kedar Jadhav's two-wicket spell is SK Turning Point of the match
In case you didn’t know…
With Bangladesh looking set for a 300+ total with Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim at the crease, Kohli opted to hand the ball to Kedar Jadhav ahead of the experienced Yuvraj Singh. And it was a gamble that paid off as the off-spinner got rid of both set batsmen and ensured that the opposition went from a position of strength in 154/2 to 179/5 in less than eight overs.
The Details
The move to bring on the off-spinner changed the complexion of the game and triggered a collapse that eventually meant that Bangladesh could only set a target of 265 when a total in excess of 300 was on the cards. Jadhav finished with impressive figures of 2/22 from his six overs. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli then made easy work of the chase as India got home with nine wickets in hand and 59 balls to spare.
What’s next?
After the convincing win over Bangladesh, India sealed a spot in their second consecutive Champions Trophy final where they will take on Pakistan in an All-Asian affair on Sunday.
Author’s Take
Although Kedar Jadhav hasn’t had much to do with the bat owing to the brilliant form of the openers and Virat Kohli, he has shown himself to be a valuable asset with the ball. With Hardik Pandya going for runs, he seemed like an obvious candidate to plug the gap, especially since Yuvraj Singh hasn’t bowled a great deal since his ODI comeback. And while his wickets were bonus, he continues to show that he is an integral part of the middle-order courtesy of contributions like in the semi-final, where he turned the game in India’s favor.
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