NEWS
Follow UsJaydev Unadkat returned to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) XI and produced a match-winning spell of 3 for 15 against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Wankhede on Thursday (April 16). His spell helped RR restrict Delhi to just 147, which did not include a single six. RR struggled initially, but thatnks to David Miller's fifty and Chris Morris' unbeaten 18-ball 36, they got over the line eventually.
Unadkat got the wicket of Prithvi Shaw in his first over, which he said he had planned in advance. "Field placements are something which we talk about a lot in our bowler meetings as well. We had a couple of plans in place for Prithvi (Shaw). He played really well last game, and he tries to hit it down the ground a lot," the fast bowler said.
"And if we have protection down there, the batsman will obviously try and do something new, be it Prithvi or anyone else. If the ball is doing something, then you will go out of your way and try to play a shot. That is what Prithvi eventually did. Lucky to get his wicket in that over itself," he added.
The left-arm pacer did not have a particularly good season in 2020, picking up just four wickets in seven matches. He missed the first game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) as well, but returned for the second match and made an impact right away.
"I think I have a lot of experience now. This was kind of a homecoming for me. I would like to bowl with the freedom I got with the new ball, something I couldn’t do last season. This time, I didn’t get the first game; so I knew when the chances came, I’d have to take them. Worked out really well today," Unadkat said.
"If you see the stats, I think I only bowled about 4 or 5 change-of-pace deliveries. It was the wickets I got. That’s why it seemed like I bowled more, but it was about hitting the hard lengths today. There was moisture, and I made use of it today," he further added.
RR are back in action three days later on April 19, where they take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai.