Filling up Zaheer Khan’s boots is a challenge: Jaydev Unadkat

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat was on a rampage against Assam. Playing for Saurashtra in the Group B encounter of the Ranji Trophy, Unadkat returned with a 6-wicket haul. He bagged 6/48 to skittle out Assam for 171. After the match, he spoke on how he aims to stage a comeback to the national side. Unadkat had made giant strides as a 19-year old back in 2010. He was drafted to the Test team on the tour to South Africa. However, he had a forgettable outing. Since then, he has made sporadic appearances for the national side.

Jaydev Unadkat is one of the leading performers in the domestic circuit. He revealed that he always challenges himself to perform on the lines of former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan. He remarked that Zaheer Khan has been an inspiration. Unadkat wishes to fill in the big boots of Zaheer Khan in the national side.

“Zaheer bhai has been the spearhead of the Indian bowling for a long period of time. To fill in his boots is one of the challenges I keep for myself. Definitely it’s one of my goals — to be one of the left arm pacers in the Indian bowling armoury,” quoted Unadkat after bagging a six-wicket haul.

The lanky pacer further pointed out that it was his back foot landing that created problems for him. A lot of hard work has been put in by him to rectify his action and get the momentum back, said the pacer. He added that the improved run up reduces the pressure on his back as well.

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“I’m trying to keep it more stable. It was collapsing a bit. The whole action plays a part in the back foot landing. You tend to put in more body force and get good momentum if the landing is good, which goes away if your backfoot collapses a bit. I’m trying to correct that and get an angle. It also reduces the stress on my back as well,” quoted Jaydev Unadkat.

The Saurashtra pacer further added that a left-handed pacer is always a value addition. Not only does he add variety to the lineup but also create spots for the spinners. Jaydev quoted his left handed action as an advantage for him.

“It’s an advantage I would say. If a couple of pacers are doing well and one of them is a lefthander the captain would really love to have one in his armoury. We also help the spinners. We can create spots on the wicket. Yes it’s an advantage for me. But having said that the expectations are also high enough as far as the legacy of the lefthanders is concern,” he maintained.

Citing at how he has evolved over the years, Unadkat said that he has started analyzing his performances more now. He is more concerned about the technical aspect of the game now. “I’ve started to analyse myself a lot after last year. After every performance I analyse what’s going wrong in my action or technique. Technical aspect I’m pretty much clear about it. That’s the difference in me than the previous three years,” remarked the Saurashtra player.

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Jaydev Unadkat also stressed that he has improved his practice too. Stimulating match situations in the practice sessions helps a great deal. “I know what to correct in practice session with that mindset. It’s pretty clear what I’m working on. Yes I have become stronger and fitter and everyone tells me that. It also helps me in my bowling to be strong enough to survive for long spells,” he quoted.

Lastly, he said that he realizes that it is seam movement that is his strength. He is more watchful about his wrist position now. “Seam landing was my strength when I started playing cricket, something my first coach in Porbandar was very impressed of. But in between I was not consistent enough. So these days I would throw about 20 balls, improve my wrist position before every match,” he conceded.