File image of Kedar Jadhav
There has always been a curiosity surrounding the bowling action of Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav. Used as a part-timer during India's Champions Trophy 2017 campaign, Jadhav proved to be a massive success for then captain MS Dhoni, but his bowling action was always a talking point - a bizarre side-arm action, a tad different from Lasith Malinga's technique. However, on Thursday, he revealed the story behind the action and said that Dhoni had backed him immensely and that gave him confidence.
Talking about his bowling, that had fetched him 27 wickets in 40 ODIs, in an Instagram live chat with Chennai Super Kings, Kedar said how he had got coach Anil Kumble to approve of his action and how Dhoni had backed him.
"Mahi [Dhoni] bhai was captain that time. He said 'I need a few overs from you tomorrow in the game'. I started bowling off-spin. Like India and all over the world, anybody who is a part-time off-spinner, people will go after him from the 1st ball
"So then, after bowling a few overs to all the batsmen (at the nets), but everyone was hitting me wherever they wanted. I just got bored and wanted to try something new. So at that time, Anil bhai (Kumble) was the coach and I asked him," Kedar Jadhav said.
"The first delivery I bowled, I bowled it around the wicket and I still remember, Amit Mishra was batting in the nets. My arm was very wide and I left the ball from there only. Mishy bhai thought it was going to be a wide. So he just planted his foot and left it alone. But the ball hit his pads. He was plumb in front in the nets.
"He was like 'this is not allowed, you're chuking'. I said, let it get cleared from the coaches. I asked Anil bhai to check my action. I told him 'if it's allowed, I can bowl like this in the matches'.
"Then I bowled with the side-arm. The ball was keeping low on the Dharamsala practice pitches. The angle also batsmen were finding it difficult. Then Anil bhai said 'this is legal. As long as your arm is over the shoulder, you can bowl like this also'.
"Then I got confidence. I told myself 'tomorrow if I bowl my first over with 2-3 runs, then I can try with this action'."
Kedar's first international wicket was Jimmy Neesham and the dismissal boosted his morale. Kedar proved to be an important weapon for Dhoni in breaking crucial partnerships just like he had used Yuvraj Singh as a bowler during India's victorious campaign in 2011 World Cup.
"I remember after bowling the 1st over in the match with normal action, I bowled the first ball of the 2nd over with this round-arm action. James Neesham was the batsman. I think he just checked his shot and it came back to me caught and bowled. That was my first wicket. Then I started getting confidence.
"The credit should go to Mahi bhai for the confidence he gave me that I can bowl. I had not bowled much in domestic cricket also. But that wicket and the faith that Mahi bhai had in me got me as a bowler."
