New Delhi: Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat sees himself in his prime for the next 3-4 years. Despite repeated snubs from the selectors, Jaydev Unadkat will continue ‘pushing his limits’. The 29-year-old Unadkat’s only Test appearance came in 2010. He last played for India in 2018. However, he led Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2020 with a record-breaking 67 wickets in the season.
No red ball cricket possible in India has been possible since then due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So Unadkat has been left disappointed by non- selection for the Australia tour, the home series against England and now the England tour. He doesn’t even figure in the standbys for the UK tour. It is something which surprised even former selector Sarandeep Singh.
“I will be biased if I talk about my selection (non-selection in this case). I genuinely believe that I am in a phase of my career where the next three, four years I will be at my prime,” Unadkat said Tuesday.
“I’ve been taking those wickets as well. It actually proves the fact that I am in a good space. I’m finding ways to get people out on different tracks in different conditions. And because of that, I do believe that my time will come. Selection again is a tricky thing. Normally you would have performance of India A tours to consider besides domestic cricket but that hasn’t happened in pandemic,” added the left-arm fast bowler.
A chunk of those 67 wickets in 2019-2020 Ranji Trophy came on the flat Rajkot track, both with the new and old ball. It remains to be seen if Unadkat finds a place in India’s second string squad for Sri Lanka limited overs tour in July.
“I know the life of a fast bowler is quite limited, but I still have that much time. All I can do now is, prepare for the next season, or whatever is coming up. If anything comes up before the next season, I will be more than ready to take it,” asserted Unadkat.
“I just feel more motivated than ever to keep doing what I am doing to keep taking wickets, keep pushing my own limits and pushing those standards higher and higher,” he added
Unadkat did not have the best of times in the IPL last year. This year he had a decent outing in the now suspended 2021 edition. He took four wickets in as many games including a three-wicket haul against Delhi Capitals.
Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara had a one-on-one chat with Unadkat before the start of the tournament. It made things clear for the left-arm pacer.
“Though it was my fourth season with the team, Sangakkara wanted me to start afresh. The management wanted wickets from me with the new ball this season. I was able to do alright on that front whenever I got to play,” Unadkat informed.
“It was obviously a tough experience with the thing with the way things were shaping outside the IPL bubble. You were praying for everyone’s well being outside. Inside the bubble, the management was doing all that it could to do to take care of us,” Unadkat signed off.