Kedar Jadhav makes sensational comeback after 3 years, blows Assam with run-a-ball 283 in Ranji Trophy
Kedar Jadhav's knock featured 21 fours and 12 maximums helping Maharashtra pile an enormous 594/9 declared in response to Assam's 274/10 in first innings.
Kedar Jadhav made a sensational comeback to First Class cricket as he smashed a run-a-ball 283 in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match between Maharashtra and Assam at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The batter was making his first appearance after a gap of three years.
Jadhav's knock featured 21 fours and 12 maximums helping Maharashtra pile an enormous 594/9 declared in response to Assam's 274/10 in first innings. His effort saw Maharashtra take a solid 320-run lead and will now hope to restrict Assam under it to win the contest by an innings.
Jadhav was added to the Maharashtra squad after missing out on the services of Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are currently engaged with the Sri Lanka series.
Jadhav arrived in the middle while Maharashtra were batting at 95/2 and accumulated 144 runs before umpires called for stumps on Day 2. He maintained a similar approach in the following day but could only continue till 183 off 187 balls before retiring hurt. He then walked out to bat again after the fall of fourth wicket and went to add another 100 runs to his tally.
Riyan Parag eventually brought an end to Jadhav's stay in the middle after he was caught by substitute fielder Subham Mandal.
This was Jadhav’s first century in First Class cricket since 2018 and also his first double century after his stellar 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season. Jadhav had then gathered a staggering 1223 runs from 17 innings and finished as the leading run-getter that season.
Meanwhile, Jadhav highest score in First Class cricket stands 327, which he scored against Uttar Pradesh in the 2012-13 season.
Jadhav, however, went unsold in the IPL 2023 mini auction having been listed under the base price of ₹1 crore. His previous IPL appearance was back against Punjab Kings in 2021. Apart from making 93 IPL appearances, Jadhav has featured in 73 ODIs and 9 T20Is and is also the only Indian cricketer to have a 40-plus average and 100-plus strike rate in ODIs (min. 1000 runs).