Both Smith and Dhoni are great leaders, says Jaydev Unadkat

Rising Pune Supergiant’s (RPS) start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 10 campaign was not impressive. They failed to find their perfect team combination. After four matches, they decided to bench Ashok Dinda who was proving costly. Jaydev Unadkat was given a chance. Today, Rising Pune Supergiant is making preparations for the IPL 10 final.

Unadkat has been instrumental in Pune’s miraculous success. The left-arm pacer was released by Kolkata Knight Riders. He found himself a taker in RPS, who bought him in the auction for just Rs.30 lakhs. But his performances have been splendid this season. In 11 matches, he has picked up 22 wickets and is just 4 wickets away from reaching Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s tally of 26 wickets, which is the highest in the tournament. Moreover, Kumar has played three more matches than Unadkat. His economy rate of just around 7 runs per over adds to his magnificent numbers.

“I have grown in confidence from doing well. The first game was important and I kept going well from there. I became the captain’s go-to-man in pressure situations and I am enjoying that. I also feel fortunate to get that opportunity. It will be great to finish on high,” he said Speaking exclusively to India Today.

Unadkat grabbed the limelight when he picked up a hat-trick against defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. He ended the game with a five-wicket haul, his second in the IPL. “My slower ones have worked well. I did not get enough game time in the past two seasons but I got it this time and  I was happy to have played a crucial role in the team’s victory,” said the 25-year old pacer.

Jaydev is “blessed” to have both Smith and Dhoni around

A large controversy broke out when Pune team management replaced former Indian national team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with Australian captain Steve Smith as the captain. They cited need of a younger captain for the sacking. But Jaydev feels both are exceptional leaders for their respective countries. “Steve Smith and MS Dhoni have been brilliant. Both leaders have been great for their countries. We have been blessed to have them around,” said Unadkat.

Pune made the headlines during the auction when they bought English all-rounder Ben Stokes for Rs.14.5 crores. But the English all-rounder has made no harm to his reputation, as he performed brilliantly both with the bat and the ball. Unadkat feels Stokes will be missed in the final. “Ben Stokes has been a pivotal player with both bat and ball. He is the one player we would definitely miss. But we did well in the qualifier and we will try to repeat that performance in one more match.”

Rising Pune Supergiant will play the final of IPL 10 against the winner of Qualifier 2 on Sunday at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.