IPL 2021 | Was bowling with the kind of freedom I wanted to with the new ball, states Jaydev Unadkat
After enduring one of the toughest years of his career, Jaydev Unadkat marked his return with figures of 3/15, where he stated that he bowled with a lot of freedom. While stating that, Unadkat also reckoned that it wasnāt about a change of pace but it was about hitting the hard length.
Last year, Jaydev Unadkat, who was handed the task of bowling in the death, against RCB had one of the toughest outings of his career, where he couldnāt execute to the mark. That saw him being dropped from the setup. Despite the growth of Kartik Tyagi, the franchise insisted to go with the left-arm seamer Unadkat in the clash against Delhi, where conditions were tough to bat.Ā
Right from the start, the left-arm seamer, with his bag of tricks bowled brilliantly, to the line and length as he was monumental in the sending off of Delhiās star openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. He also picked up the wicket of his former captain, Ajinkya Rahane as he ended with figures of 3/15, his best in two years. In the post-match presentation, a jubilant Unadkat stated that he was bowling with the kind of freedom he wanted with the new ball.Ā
āHave a lot of experience now I can say of handling tough situations. Was kind of a homecoming for me. Was bowling with the kind of freedom I wanted with the new ball. Couldn't do that last season. Had to step up this time,ā he stated in the post-match presentation after winning the player of the match.Ā
While he had to wait for his chances, the Saurashtra pacer admitted that he knew that he had to make the fullest use of the opportunities that came his way. He also added that it was crucial for him to hit the right length on the pitch, which was doing a bit for the bowlers.Ā
āDidn't get the first game so I knew the chances when they come, I have to take them. If you see the stats I think I only bowled about four-five change of pace. It was about hitting the hard lengths, hitting good lengths because it was doing a bit,ā he added.
Rajasthan, on the other hand, would sigh a breath of relief, after snatching the game at the last moment away from Delhi, with the right-hander himself contributing with the bat, smacking a crucial six in the 19th over.Ā Ā
"We wanted to keep it calm in the middle, we didn't want to lose focus. We were telling each other to watch the balls and go for it, he couldn't time it in the first few deliveries but after that, he was swinging it right. We had the confidence that we were only two hits away from a win. The way he hit Kagiso Rabada was just delightful," he revealed in the post-match press conference.Ā
"It has always been about one game, one good game, I have been playing IPL for so many years now. I knew that I had to make the best use of the opportunities and we needed this win as a team, after losing the close encounter against PBKS. Happy that I could contribute to the team's win and happy that we got the win on board."