IPL 2023: Kedar Jadhav looks to resolve RCB’s middle-order woes after surprise call-up

Although he couldn’t get an opportunity to bat in Delhi over the weekend, Jadhav is gunning to resolve RCB’s middle-order woes.

Even before he joined Jio Cinema as the face of its Marathi commentary team, Jadhav was in touch with RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar.

At the start of the previous domestic season, he was written off as a cricketer, not even finding a place in Maharashtra’s T20 squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. But having struck form in the Ranji Trophy, Kedar Jadhav is gunning to make the most of an unexpected call-up by Royal Challengers Bangalore midway through the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Even before he joined Jio Cinema as the face of its Marathi commentary team, Jadhav was in touch with RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar. That helped him stay in shape over the last month, although he wasn’t really having a hit in the nets regularly.

“As a professional cricketer, you have to be prepared all the time. Every day practice also doesn’t help sometimes, so that the hunger comes back. Took a break after the Ranji Trophy. Just before the IPL, I practised for 10-15 days, since there were murmurs (of a call-up). Then on it’s only been primarily fitness while managing the commentary duties,” Jadhav said.

“Sanjay bhai told me we needed some experience in the middle-order plus the form that I was in, it worked in my favour,” he added.

Now that he has been included in the starting line-up, although he couldn’t get an opportunity to bat in Delhi over the weekend, Jadhav is gunning to resolve RCB’s middle-order woes.