IPL 2017: Kedar Jadhav credits improved fitness for match-winning knock against Delhi Daredevils

What’s the story?

Kedar Jadhav proved to be the architect of Royal Challengers’ 15-run victory over the Delhi Daredevils on home soil. Coming out to bat at the number four position, he destroyed bowling line-up of the Daredevils by scoring 69 runs off just 37 balls. Despite all the hard work he has put in to reach this status, the 32-year-old says that his fitness is they key to his success.

“I lost seven kilos, so the thing is I’m able to move faster, Fitness is a thing, you know, if you just look into the mirror and you gain too much confidence. So I guess that part has worked for me. I got enough time to train with our trainer, Shankar Basu and it has definitely transformed into my game. I am feeling much stronger, fitter so that definitely helped me, I guess,” said the RCB batsman on his fitness.

In case you didn’t know...

In the year 2010, Kedar Jadhav was pulled into the Delhi Daredevils team at the last instance against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. He was mostly shadowed by the strong batting line-up which had Virender Sehwag, David Warner and AB de Villiers.

Earler in 2017, he was called to the national side where he played a vital role with the bat against England.

The heart of the matter

Kedar Jadhav, after his recent success for the RCB at the home ground, stated that he credits the knock to his improved fitness. Under his trainer, he became much fitter which helped him have a better footwork and speed too.

Against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday, owning to his improved footwork, he smashed 24 runs off a Mishra over to bring his side back in the game.

What’s next?

While the Bangalore team is missing essential players like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and KL Rahul, the player from Maharashtra stood strong to make a difference for the side. With no further news about the fitness of the two aforementioned players, Jadhav looks like a reliable source of runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The Royal Challengers will play the Kings XI Punjab at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on 10th of April.

Author’s take

Kedar Jadhav addresses a valid point to the cricketing world by speaking about the importance of fitness for a sportsman. His performance definitely spoke much louder than words in the recent game.