Kedar lashes 69, in race for India spot

Kedar Jadhav maintained his excellent form as he smashed a 37-ball 69 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against former team Delhi Daredevils at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Jadhav raced to 50 off 26 balls to lift the hosts after early setbacks in a team missing skipper Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and KL Rahul due to injury.

With RCB having lost its first match to holders Sunrisers Hyderabad and reduced to 55 for three, it was vital for the No 4 batsman to come good, and he did as RCB, who elected to bat, finished on a modest 157 for eight.

Jadhav has recently been in focus after Virat Kohli tried him out in the last few ODIs. The gamble paid off as Jadhav scored a brilliant century (120) against England in the Pune ODI before scoring 90 that almost got India over the line in Kolkata.

“In the last 5-6 months, I have been in good touch and I just want to cash in,” Jadhav said during the innings break. “I took the absence of Kohli and AB as an opportunity,” he added.

With India players having one eye on gaining a berth for the ICC Champions Trophy, starting in England on June 1, any good score in the T20 league can’t hurt.

The Maharashtra batsman, who had on-and-off stints with India, finally came into his own with a remarkable series against England, scoring 122, 22 and 90 in that series after a 39* in the final ODI against New Zealand.

The attacking batsman announced his arrival with a huge six off Amit Mishra, lifting him over cover. He then got a few singles before again picking the seasoned leg-spinner, back after an injury break, for special treatment in the 13th over.

Jadhav milked Mishra for 24 runs in that over, including two sixes and two boundaries before turning his attention to Carlos Brathwaite.