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[caption id="attachment_47710" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Kedar Jadhav's spell was the game changer against Bangladesh yesterday. Image Source: ICC[/caption] Internet Desk: A bowler’s instinct and an uncanny ability to vary pace were Kedar Jadhav’s strongest allies in India’s semi-final against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. When he was thrown the ball, Bangladesh was going extremely well at 142 for 2 in 25 overs, and Virat Kohli needed to do something different to stop Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim from running away with the match. By the time Jadhav’s six-over spell ended, Bangladesh were 183 for 5 in 36 overs, with Jadhav having removed both set batsmen. From then on, India’s grip on the match never relaxed and the defending champion coasted to a nine-wicket win with almost 10 overs to spare. While the bowling unit collectively did well and the batting top-order was unstoppable, the spell that turned the match was delivered by Jadhav. “Actually, when I looked at the wicket, it was pretty flat. So I knew that as long as I don’t bowl with the same pace, they won’t be able to hit me,” Jadhav told ICC in an exclusive chat. “The main thing while bowling was to keep changing your pace as per the batsmen. The major part in my bowling is reading the batsman’s mind. As per that, I have to vary my pace. As long as I’m sticking to the line of the stumps, it’s always a risk for them: if you miss, you’re going to get out. “You need to keep changing the pace, to make it difficult for batsmen to read you, whether to play on the front foot or back foot. That is the challenge and my strength is to vary speed.” Jadhav said that initially, he didn’t expect more than three-four overs. And even Virat Kohli, his captain didn’t think he could contribute beyond slipping in a few overs. Two wickets, and that too those of the set men, were a bonus. “Whenever there is a partnership going on, I get more opportunities,” admitted Jadhav. “Because you need to break that partnership. I’m not a regular bowler, so people take me lightly and go after me, and that is where I get a lot of wickets I guess. The moment you play me as a pure bowler, that is where you will be able to score. If you play me as a part-timer, you’ll find it difficult. “Virat just wanted me to bowl some three-four economical overs,” Jadhav continued. “If a fast bowler has a bad day, he makes it up by my overs. That was the plan. The wickets came because I could read the batsmen. That is my major point I feel. I bowled to my gut feeling, and it worked on this particular day.” The ‘instinct’ that Jadhav speaks about has been developed after he began bowling more, beginning with India’s home series against New Zealand in late 2016. MS Dhoni was the Indian captain then and punted on Jadhav, discovering a golden arm. He’s bowled eight times in ODIs, and he has eight wickets, showing a knack for breaking partnerships. And what has helped him is reading, Jadhav says. Not books, but people. More specifically batsmen. “It was MS Dhoni’s call to throw the ball to me in the New Zealand series. In my second over itself on the international stage I got a wicket, and from there it was just to read the situation and what the batsman is looking for, and not give them easy runs,” explained Jadhav. “My instinct has increased after bowling. I feel bowling has two departments: one is to read the batsman, and the second is to execute what you want to. I guess I’m pretty much doing both, so that is why it was working for me.” But while Jadhav’s emergence as a bowler was a novel move, he doesn’t want any more surprises ahead of the final against Pakistan, and is happy for the team to concentrate on routine processes. “It will be a good match. We have already played them once,” he said. “But every game we play is with the same intensity. Yes, it’s a final, but we won’t be doing anything different. We’ll be doing the same things we have been doing in this tournament.” The same thing India has been doing have borne the team up pretty well, and if Jadhav and company can replicate that, we could have India defending its Champions Trophy crown with ease.