IND vs SL 2017: Jaydev Unadkat credits domestic cricket for boosting his confidence to excel in international arena

Unadkat was adjudged Man of the Series for scalping 4 wickets in 3 T20Is against SL.

Jaydev Unadkat | BCCI

India’s left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat put on a fabulous show with the ball during the just concluded three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Unadkat recorded the bowling figures of 2-0-7-1, 3-0-22-1 and 4-0-15-2 across the three Twenty-20 internationals in Cuttack, Indore and Mumbai respectively. The 26-year-old paceman was very deservedly adjudged Man of the Series. In fact, he was also awarded the Man of the Match in the final T20I in Mumbai last night.

Addressing the post-match press conference after India’s five wickets victory at Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, Unadkat credited his domestic performance for this improved performance against the Lankans.

“Things went really well for me. I had some plans and I had my preparations before the series. To bowl in the Powerplay was something I was looking forward to do. It’s been long [since debut] I’ve been through the domestic circuit and played a lot there. That really helped mature as a player. Having played so early gave me a boost. I’m thankful to the management for backing me. The most important phase for any cricketer is the domestic ciurcuit where you bowl on the flat tracks in this country; and you keep going through the grind. To come out well really gives you the confidence. I was always eager to do well for the nation to come and give my best whenever I got a chance with these guys,” quoted Unadkat in the post-match press conference.

Rohit Sharma, who captained the team in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, hailed each and every player for their contribution and appreciated the youngsters for improving their game by many folds.

“We were playing with seven batters, plus Washington is a good batsman as well so we backed ourselves to go and get it. It’s something we discussed at the start of the tour as well, that we want to play with six batsmen and an allrounder. Very happy with the way be played in the ODI and T20 series,” Rohit said in the presentation ceremony.

"I think it’s a team effort. The work ethic of each and every guy. They’ve done their homework thoroughly. It showed they were ready for the opportunity. A lot of the guys were playing their first or second game but it didn’t feel like that. It was our job as the team management to back them completely. Looking forward to the SA tour. It’s going to be a different challenge,” he added.

After a little blip in the ODI series opener in Dharamsala, Team India showed a great character and Rohit was pretty pleased with his troops’ response.

 “There were few hiccups in the middle. Games like Dharamsala which taught us a lot. As a batting unit too, we were challenged at different times, but the way we came back was very good,” concluded the stand-in India skipper.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 25 Dec, 2017

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