Jadhav relieved to get his chance

In the first three matches of this World Cup, Kedar Jadhav had faced a total of 18 balls and had bowled no more than five overs with India’s top-order batsmen and front line bowlers doing a fantastic job.

The all-rounder -- the only player to be on the staring 11 in all the matches and not done anything significant until then -- might have wondered if he is there just to make up the numbers. Saturday, however, provided the Maharashtra player the opportunity against Afghanistan. Given the prolific form of India’s top three and preference for Hardik Pandya in the event of not many overs left in the innings, Jadhav may well have given up on getting a decent time in the middle against an attack that had been plundered for almost 400 runs by England.

As Afghanistan spinners kept chipping away Indian batsmen, Jadhav walked in at No 6 with almost 20 overs to bat.

It was one those rare opportunities and the right-hander had to make the most of it to justify his place in the 11 as he wasn’t getting many overs and isn’t the most reliable when it comes to fielding. Ravindra Jadeja could so easily have come back into contention.

His partnership with M S Dhoni was underwhelming as the two put on an unimpressive 87-run stand off 117 balls.

He was on 31 (48 balls) then but somewhat made up for the lack of urgency by finishing with a 68-ball-52. It eventually proved crucial in India’s low total of 224 which they struggled to defend.

“To be able to score runs and get what your team is needing, you need to give yourself time,” Jadhav said on grabbing every single opportunity. “You know (most) of the time, there won’t be any time but when you actually get the time, you make the most of it.

So, it was important to use those many balls to get set, and then you choose your bowlers and choose your areas (to score runs). According to the team plans, you obviously know in the back of your mind what target you’re looking for, and you try to plan your innings for that,” he explained.

Lack of game time and the pressure of succeeding in limited opportunities often pushes batsmen to adopt the safety-first approach and Jadhav was no different on the day with a sluggish Dhoni doing little to take any pressure off his junior mate.

“The most difficult part is to wait for your turn, and it’s like you hardly get to bat so many deliveries in a tournament,” said Jadhav of his predicament.

“I played in a series for India (when I didn’t get many chances to bat). At the moment, our top order has been very good, in fact since last four years. So, it’s not often we get to spend time in the middle when everything else is going well. But today it was a conscious effort to get some balls for me also. So that’s why I was batted at Number 6,” he offered, hoping the workmanlike innings would hold him in good stead in the rest of the tournament.