Kedar Jadhav failed to make good of the opportunities that came his way this season © BCCI

Kedar Jadhav was one of the first few players to head out to the nets at the back of the PCA stadium in Mohali on the eve of Chennai Super Kings' game against Kings XI Punjab. Initially, the feet weren't moving great and the timing wasn't perfect. Quite a few were mishit. But he hung around. In a matter of minutes, he was smashing the ball from the sweet spot of the bat and shouts of "watch out," often echoed around the arena. The intensity was there. He then moved a couple of pitches right to get throwdowns from Michael Hussey, CSK's batting coach. Mr. Cricket was as always pretty sharp with his work and the duo was seen addressing potential problem areas.

It's a well-known fact that Jadhav has underperformed this season. The flow that is normally associated with him wasn't just there. While he did score a fifty at the Wankhede, hold one end tight at the Kotla and not get a chance to bat on a few occasions, he has thrown away great opportunities to keep himself amongst the runs.

It all started with cement feet against Rajasthan Royals at the Chepauk when he played an ill-attempted drive and nicked off despite CSK losing both openers for almost next to nothing.

In the Pink City too he failed to bail the side out of trouble from 15/3 in a 152-run chase, although you may be kind on him there because Ben Stokes pulled off what was a contender for the catch of the season.

A couple of days later, he did get off to a quick start against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, but let the rush of blood get the better of him and Piyush Chawla trapped him in front.

At Hyderabad, MS Dhoni sat out due to injury and Jadhav, being a senior member, had to shoulder a lot of responsibility but failed to handle Rashid Khan and CSK went down in what a sluggish performance.

The Men in Yellow were chasing 162 at the Chinnaswamy, an easily gettable target with short boundaries and a decent pitch. Jadhav walked out after Faf horribly threw his wicket away to reduce the team to 17/3. The team is under pressure, there's Dhoni to come, there are RCB's bowling woes to benefit from, but he simply threw in the towel and top-edged Umesh Yadav looking to make the most of the final powerplay over.

He had another chance to put his hand up in the absence of Dhoni at the Chepauk against Mumbai Indians. But he failed to understand it was difficult to cut the ball on a sluggish pitch despite missing out twice and chopped on in his third attempt as a result of choosing a ball that no room for the shot. Another chase where he should have taken the game deep like his captain does.

It's not just the lack of runs that is irking, but the sheer manner in which he turned his back during crunch moments is more concerning.

And this is a player who is crucial in India's middle-order and is expected to show a lot of composure at the World Cup, which is only about 20 days away. It's not a question of ability. No one is doubting that. He has saved India from tough situations before. It's about not justifying the potential.

Head coach Stephen Fleming too sent in a word of support, saying "The IPL isn't over. I often look at what a player hasn't done and get excited about what he can do. He's certainly one of those players. It's a difficult role in the middle order. You can get a lot of opportunities, you can get very little opportunity and sometimes the roles are so diverse. I'm not worried about him. He's very relaxed, he does have one eye on the world cup like the others in our side. Form-wise he's firmly fixed in contributing in the remaining games. No worries for me. He's been doing the right things and just looking for another opportunity."

They say "Keep yourself in good company." For sure CSK is great company for Jadhav. They know his ability. They back him irrespective of his poor form. They played him throughout the season without him having to worry about his place in the side. But the best company for him can only come from within, in the form of runs.

For sure, things change quickly in sport. Who knows, a player completely out of form can find his touch in a space of one net session on the eve of a game. But there is no replacement for actual match practice. The IPL is quality enough environment to spend some time in. It is not about different formats. It is just about putting the bat on ball.

Hardik Pandya's unbelievable form has got the fans really excited about the World Cup. With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami around, there is this confidence that their team will do well at the mega event. It is that kind of confidence the fans want to feel from Kedar Jadhav too.