Kedar Jadhav : Batting with Virat makes it easy

Jadhav (120) forged a 200-run stand with skipper Virat Kohli (122) that set up India’s astonishing run chase.

“Whenever you bat with Virat, it helps you because the bowlers’ focus would be entirely on him – how to get him out, how to control him – so that’s an advantage. So, if you are batting with him, you sometimes get loose balls and more opportunities to score. The bowlers are not able to put a lot of pressure on you, so that helps a lot,” Jadhav told reporters.

The second game of the three-match ODI series will be played in Cuttack on Jan 19.

“I have had this attitude since childhood that whatever I do, I do it from the bottom of my heart and I prepare well. On the field, the only intent is to make your team win, which is the right thinking in every situation. I feel everything falls into place when you are thinking right and that was another day when I was going in a proper direction. Obviously I was working hard going into the series and I am happy to have succeeded in the last game,” Jadhav said.

Kedar Jadhav

“There are a lot of experiences that have contributed to my rising self-belief. One such incident was in Australia two years ago. I was touring for India A and started feeling pain in the hand. I continued to play despite the pain and returned after 20 days and got a scan done. It revealed that I had a fracture (in the wrist). I realised that if I could perform well in Australia for India despite carrying a fracture, I can bear any pain. If I want to overcome any odds, I know I can do anything. That's how I always think and since I keep achieving it most of the times, my belief in my abilities continues to grow.”

Jadhav said his hitting straight comes from his tennis ball cricket roots.

“As a kid, I played more tennis ball cricket than with the cricket ball. There used to be a tournament where you could hit fours and sixes only straight down the ground. If you hit on the sides you were given out. So that's how I got into this habit that even if there is bounce, if the ball is at a manageable height and if I feel I can clear 30 yards, I can do it.’

“I could do this with the tennis ball. So the flow with which I was playing yesterday, I thought if there isn't much bounce and if I can get a bit of elevation, I can hit out. In that over we hadn't got a boundary and you needed a boundary every over to maintain that asking rate. So I took that option and it clicked.”

The congratulatory calls have continued to pour in.

“Have been getting lots of (congratulatory) calls but I have turned the phone into silent mode to keep my focus on the series. Some of them might feel that 'bada player ho gaya hai toh ab aisa hai (now that he has become a big player, he is acting pricy). But I have always wanted to be grounded.

“In these things, my family and my friends help. They know what I am comfortable with. I don't really like to talk much about what has happened, so I try to stay in present and that is what I look to do.”