India v/s Zimbabwe: Better late than never for ton-up 30-year old Kedar Jadhav

Before embarking on the tour to Zimbabwe, Maharashtra's Kedar Jadhav knew how important this series was for him. At 30, he wanted to make every opportunity count. He was in no hurry nor did he show any signs of nervousness as he confidently spoke on how keen he was to play for the country, especially in the absence of the big guys.

"Yes, this is an important opportunity for me. I am fit and want to do well. I know they will be back (big guys), but my concern is to do well in the opportunity that I get," he had told dna.

On Tuesday, he made the opportunity count by slamming a sensible unbeaten 105 and guided India to an 83-run win over Zimbabwe in Harare, and in the process India blanked Zimbabwe 3-0.

His maiden ton in only his fourth ODI was overshadowed by the verdict on IPL spotfixing controversy pronounced by the Lodha Committee.

But, the house of the Jadhavs on Kothrud road in Pune was in a celebratory mode. Kedar had made the household proud with his match-winning knock. His father, Mahadev, was elated. "We couldn't speak much on the phone on Tuesday night since he was tired, but he is going to call me in a while," Jadhav senior told dna while accepting the congratulatory messages. "My son has worked very very hard and is bearing the fruit now. What else do you want?" he said.

As Kedar was not getting any younger – and it was only last November that he earned his ODI cap – Jadhav Sr received a lot of advice from his friends and relatives. "They asked me why didn't I ask Kedar to get into some job and earn Rs 5,000 or Rs 6,000 like they themselves do. But I told them 'No'. I didn't mind waiting. One needs to be patient. I allowed him to pursue his dream. We can somehow manage today but if we worked very hard and had the faith, then we'll definitely get good result," said Jadhav Sr.

However, it wasn't instant success for Kedar. Seven years after his first-class debut did the middle-order batsman make heads turn by scoring 1,223 runs in the Ranji season including a century against Mumbai at the Wankhede. An IPL season with Delhi Daredevils followed and then the India call-up.

Before 2014, Jadhav was a player with a lot of aggression and less patience. Till he received guidance from former India selector and Maharashtra player Surendra Bhave, who had taken over as the Ranji team coach.
"I have known him since his junior days. He was an extremely aggressive guy who had all the shots but lacked temperament and patience," said Bhave, currently coaching Haryana.

"What I told him was not about technique, but to soak in the pressure, work on his defence and have the patience to leave the first few balls. He did that. The result was a hundred against Zaheer Khan & Co. in the Ranji quarterfinal, 2013-14. It was more about mental coaching and man-managing," he added.

Bhave, however, rubbished the talk of Kedar being old. "He is muscular, compact and fit. If he keeps working on his fitness, he can play for India for another four to five years. He has that kind of a body. He is also explosive. Age is a non-issue. If he can hit the ball well and is highly confident, then why not?" he said.

Kedar's Maharashtra teammate and close buddy Swapnil Gugale was happy that he has finally proved himself on the higher stage. "He was disappointed that he could not do very well against Sri Lanka. And, he had the intuition that he could get a break against Zimbabwe. So, he was preparing hard enough in the off-season," said Gugale.

However, there were signs of him running out of patience. "He would sometimes say that age is slipping from his hands. He did not get a chance against Bangladesh last year when he got into the squad for the first time and couldn't do much, hence he was adamant this time," added the friend.

Kedar, who looks cool and composed, is actually not. "Yes, he is not. He is a confident guy who knows his game. When we were playing on a green track at Lahli in the quarters last season against Andhra. Not many could stay longer. We needed a good total, and he told the coach that he would bat in his own style. From the third ball, he stepped out and hit the seamer for a boundary. We were all shocked. In the end, he scored an 81. He knew that people will be watching that game on TV and that he wanted it to count."

Bhave called it a "supreme knock". "He turned the things around for Maharashtra, although it was an on and off season for him," he said.

Bhave is hoping his prodigy does well the same more often for India.