MUMBAI: Former Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav is all set to embark on a new journey into the political arena. TOI has learnt that the 40-year-old will formally join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters here at the Marine Drive at 3pm on Tuesday, marking the start of his political career.
Jadhav, who played for Maharashtra in domestic cricket and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, will be welcomed into the party fold in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP’s state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
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While there has been no official confirmation from the party or Jadhav himself, a reliable source tracking developments confirmed the news as true.
Born on March 26, 1985, in Pune, Maharashtra, Jadhav, a prolific middle-order batter, made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India in 2014 against Sri Lanka and went on to represent the country in 73 ODIs, scoring 1,389 runs at an average of 42.09. and picking up 27 wickets at an economy rate of 5.15 with his effective part-time off-spinners.
While he played a few crucial knocks for India, Jadhav is best remembered for his magnificent 120-run knock off just 76 balls against England in the Pune ODI in 2017, during which, rescuing India from 63 for four in the 12th over, he shared an epic 200-run partnership with the then Indian captain Virat Kohli to help India chase down 351 and carve out a thrilling victory.
Jadhav was a mainstay in the Maharashtra side and had a prolific 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season, during which he amassed 1223 runs@87.35, including six hundreds, to force his way into the national team.
Jadhav played for four franchises in the IPL – Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jadhav also played for the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2010.
On June 3, 2024, Jadhav officially announced his retirement from all formats of cricket, closing a chapter that had spanned almost 17 years-2009 to 2024.
