Yesterday, Kedar Jadhav stunned everyone as he announced his retirement from all forms of the game. A shocking decision taken while he was still playing the Maharashtra Premier League sent the cricketing world wondering on why did it happen. A great servant of Indian cricket, Kedar Jadhav performed on all the occasions he got a chance to play for the nation. In 73 ODIs and 9 T20's he played for the nation, he did give everyone some of the most wonderful memories. And yet, he retired as one of the most underrated players of Indian team.

One would be shocked to the core to know the fact that he is the only player in the world who has an excess of 1000 runs, a batting average of 40+, strike rate of 100+, and 25 wickets to him together. The fact that even most of the Indians have no clue about this phenomenal feat pretty much sums up on how much underrated this guy is. One of the strongest batters in Indian circuit of his time, he was the perfect finisher India needed as Dhoni was aging with his reflexes going down. And how can one forget his bowling which came in handy for the team on many occasions. But pretty much like his rare achievement, most of his life has been highly underrated.

Born and brought up in Maharashtra, Jadhav was quick to understand his love ans passion for the game. He wrecked havoc in the domestic circuit playing for Maharashtra. The team saw a run machine in his form after a long time. In 2012, he scored a triple hundred which till date is the 2nd highest individual score for any Maharashtra player. And in 2013-14, he amassed a whopping 1223 runs in Ranji Trophy ending up being 4th highest run scorer of the season. In spite of performing so well consistently and in spite of scoring truckload of runs, he was often neglected by the selectors.

He also proved his worth as a batter in IPL playing for Delhi Daredevils, when he made an instant impact with his 29 ball 50 knock on his debut. He made the most of all the opportunities he got, but still didn't get the well deserved opportunity to represent the nation. He was selected in the second string team to be sent for Bangladesh tour in 2013, but he didn't get a chance to feature in any of the 3 games which happened. Fortunately, sooner he got a chance to make his debut against Srilanka in 2014. The same year he played the entire series against Zimbabwe, where he hit a century in the 3rd match which cemented his place in the team.

Over a period of time, he evolved himself as the perfect finisher which Indian team needed. It was the same time when Dhoni as a batter started to go a little downhill, when Jadhav started his career. With great technique, strength in his arms and clever judgement, he quickly rose up the ranks. One of the strongest qualities of his batting was his street smartness, which helped him adapt quickly and send the ball to different parts of the ground effortlessly. He fondly says that he developed the street smartness and ability to negate bouncers because of the extensive tennis ball leagues he played. And it massively helped him, as well as the team.

One saw him play that sensational knock of 120 runs in just 86 balls against England. His quickfire hundred in his home ground Pune, along with Virat Kohli 's century helped India chase a mammoth total of 350 runs. He unleashed his true potential in the same series, as one saw him almost pull off another chase against England when his valuable knock of 90 which helped India almost chase 320 runs. The lone warrior in the form of Kedar was now looked up to as a perfect finisher. And what helped his case even more is his enormous dedication. He was a true warrior for his team, and he made sure he is putting the team ahead of him. Which is why, he pulled off a victory for CSK, with a scoop shot when he was struggling with his hamstring.

Along with his dedication, what made him the perfect team player was his readiness to perform the role which his team requires. One therefore saw Kedar Jadhav taking a ball in his hands for the team, which was never seen earlier. His unique slinga action while bowling spin proved to be extremely effective for the team, as he grabbed crucial breakthroughs on many occasions for the team. He often took the wickets of the players which the senior bowlers couldn't get. Which is why he was heavily trusted by MS Dhoni. And he didn't let him down as he went on to become the only person to score 1000+ runs, have 40+ average, 100+ strike rate and 25+ wickets in international cricket.

Kedar Jadhav was the perfect player for any team member, and he contributed to the team in multiple ways. And he did it for quite some time. Still he never received the respect he truly deserves. Infact the generation of lockdown cricket fans troll him a lot, and honestly it hurts to see it happen. Due to the same reason, in spite of being an integral part of the team, his retirement wasn't much spoken about. Kedar Jadhav is a player who deserves tremendous respect for what he has done for the nation. And hopefully, after his retirement he will receive the true applause he deserves. As a forever fan of Kedar Jadhav, I hope to see him train many upcoming talents eventually making them capable of playing for India, which will surely happen in the future which beholds. On the occasion of him bidding adieu to the game, I thank him for all what he has done, and wish him good luck for the second innings of his life.