Jaydev Unadkat’s performance in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy wasn’t taken too seriously. That, even after he captained Saurashtra to winning the crown, besides finishing as the highest wicket-taker (67 scalps in 10 matches) in the competition.
He has been playing in the IPL since 2010 but is yet to become a household name. In other words, Unadkat was written off by most in spite of his consistent showings in the domestic circuit.
But the left-arm quick never gave up. Reposing faith in himself, Unadkat kept striving for more and more impact-making performances for his state and it eventually helped him make a Test comeback when India toured Bangladesh back in December.
While one wonders how many more Tests the pacer will be able to play from hereon, it is true that this is a sharper and much more accurate Unadkat, entirely different from the one that finished with 0/101 on debut against South Africa at the Centurion in December 2010.
“I would say my game has grown and it has been an upward curve as far as my journey is concerned,” the Saurashtra skipper, who was released from the India squad (after the Nagpur Test) so that he could take part in the Ranji final against Bengal, told The Telegraph after his team’s training session at Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
“Yes, skill-wise, I’ve improved drastically from what I had when I played my first Test.”
In his comeback Test, Unadkat finished with a match haul of three wickets on an extremely spin-friendly Mirpur track. However, all of his wickets came at critical phases.
“Well, first of all, I didn’t have enough scope to bowl much in that game because of the conditions there. But it’s about contributing to your team when you get the opportunity. So my job was to cash in on it and try and hit the right areas which can make the batsman err.
“Besides, I had the experience of bowling on such a wicket and that helped. Also, I had a much better understanding of the Indian dressing room on this occasion than how things were when I made my debut at just 19,” Unadkat said.
In this Ranji season, Unadkat has played only three matches for Saurashtra but managed to pick up 17 wickets with 8/39 against Delhi being his best performance so far.
“See, we Indians have grown up bowling on wickets that are slow and with low bounce. So bowling on these wickets and making the necessary adjustments isn’t that difficult.
“On my part, I haven’t focused on anything specific as such. My accuracy is my main weapon and that’s what I bank on.
“Having said that, coming round the wicket and bringing the ball back into the right-hander and also taking it away from the latter is one area I’ve concentrated on. I would agree that having been able to do so on a consistent basis has indeed benefited me,” Unadkat explained.
India’s chances of making the World Test Championship final appear bright at present. Is Unadkat hopeful of being a part of the squad if India do reach the final?
“Well, we stand a good chance of making the final, but I don’t want to comment about myself because, at the moment, I’m taking just one game at a time,” he replied.
