Jaydev Unadkat's good show in IPL gave him the confidence

Jaydev Unadkat was thrown into the bullring at the age of 19, and the left-arm pacer was visibly struggling in his first outing against South Africa. Indian skipper at that time, MS Dhoni had the confidence that the left-arm pacer would showcase his talent which was not quite the same that happened in Centurion. The only Indian who shined in that particular test was none other than the Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.

It was a tough start and was a little harsh to put the blame on the 19-year-old youngster. Jacques Kallis, showed no mercy on the Indian bowlers with a double-hundred while Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers struck a ton each.

The selector on that tour wasn’t amused by some of the observations made by the media about Undakat’s pace, or lack of it while supporting the youngster.

“We have followed him like a hawk. Believe me, he is ready for international cricket,” he said while justifying the decision to blood a rookie in a demanding series. The only Test that the youngster has ever been part of his career.

IPL reincarnation:

Until not recently, the left-arm seamer was not much in demand in the Indian Premier League circuit, with franchises letting the other have him. However, as recent as last year the 26-year-old was given a reprieve under the captaincy of the Australian Steve Smith. The left-armer ended the tournament as the second-leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 22 wickets.

The left-armed Unadkat has never been given a chance to showcase his hitting ability, but when he was given one against New Zealand in the second warm-up game, the 26-year-old struck the ball ever-so-sweetly. Batting at No.9, Unadkat struck a quick-fire 44 runs in under four overs, after picking up four wickets for just 57 runs.

A new dimension to his game:

“I did (add a new dimension to my game). I was batting well since the last two seasons in domestic cricket, but I have got the confidence now and I am happy that it is working well on the bigger stage and today’s innings will boost my confidence,” he said to Cricbuzz.

“The way I was bowling in the IPL gave me a lot of confidence, and sometimes it’s all about confidence for a bowler. I am looking in good rhythm and I am confident of bowling what I want to bowl,” he concluded.