A prodigious talent right from teenage days, Jaydev Unadkat has bloomed late with a strong 2017 IPL season making people to take notice of his improvement. He burst into the scene as a nippy left-arm pacer who could make the ball move both ways off the seam. Such was his talent that he spearheaded the Indian U19 bowling attack at the World Cup in 2010, following which the lucrative IPL contract came to him. Life was moving at terrific pace for young Unadkat who was even surprisingly blooded into India's Test squad for the tour of South Africa. The much anticipated debut happened subsequently but it was baptism by fire for him as he was sent on a leather hunt by the Protea batsmen.
IPL through the years
The spearhead of India’s U19 team during the 2010 World Cup, Jaydev Unadkat’s journey in the IPL has been a mixed bag, spread across several franchises. Initially a wiry left-arm pacer who could swing the ball both ways, he learned very quickly that genuine pace isn’t enough to succeed in T20 cricket. Fresh from his success at the U19 level, he got picked by Kolkata Knight Riders whose bowling coach at that time, the legendary Wasim Akram, spoke highly about Unadkat’s skill set. His ability soon saw him getting a move to Royal Challengers Bangalore that lasted just a solitary season before moving to the Delhi franchise.
KKR then got Unadkat back in 2016 and all this while, he had never really got the long rope to showcase his skills. Inconsistency also dogged him but the sample size was really small to judge the young man from. With RR and CSK suspended, two temporary franchises, Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant were formed, the second of which became Unadkat’s newest IPL home. After many years of being under the radar, the man from Gujarat had a standout IPL season in 2017, as he bowled RPS into the IPL final. Not only was he swinging the new ball but also seemed to have added a dimension to his game in the death overs.