Indian pacer froze in shock
The auction of the Indian Premier League 2018 left a lot of
people in a state of shock. The amount of money that was spent over players
left a lasting impression on everyone, with the most surprising element being
the signature of Jaydev Unadkat.
The left-handed pacer left a lasting impression in the Sri
Lanka T20Is with 4 wickets in 3 games at an economy rate of just 5
runs-per-over. He also had a great IPL last year as he took 24 wickets in 12 matches. As a result, the teams in the auction went berserk over him. His
name induced a bidding way that subsequently led to him being sold for 11.5
crore rupees.
And Unadkat admits that he himself was shocked with the
proceedings.
"I went blank at that moment. I did not understand what
was happening. I was going with the flow and thinking for whom I will get to
play for. It was good that I was with my teammates as that tense moment got
lightened up a bit. I kind of froze for a while," Unadkat
told mid-day.
He, however, admitted that while he didn’t have a figure in
his mind, he was aware that many teams would wage a war to acquire him.
"Honestly, I didn't have any particular figure in my
mind, but I knew there would be many franchises bidding for me since I did well
in the last IPL. The kind of form that I was in, I knew that teams would bid
for me.
"I didn't want to focus too much on the money part. It
is heartening to see that the teams stretched their purse to get me. "It
was heartening to see the teams having so much confidence in me," said
Unadkat.
Last season, he was sold for his base price of 30 lac rupees
to Rising Pune Supergiants, but he maintained that the money “didn’t really
matter” to him as he only looked forward to play in the Indian Premier League.
"It didn't really matter that I was sold for my base
price in the last auction. I was just hoping to get a chance to play in the
last IPL and then do well from there on to prove that I am still capable. That
was the aim last year.
"I didn't even think that I was sold for my base price.
It is something very special to have the feeling of being valued at such a
price in the IPL," he said.
He then concluded by crediting his self-confidence and
fitness for his improved performances.
"The fitness has gone up which has impacted my
performance. However, the main thing was self-confidence because I doubted
myself and was thinking a lot on what I was not able to do.
"Once I started thinking positively, I began focusing on my strengths rather than stressing over my weaknesses. I backed my skills and the confidence that I got from the last IPL and playing for Saurashtra was immense," he concluded.
Picture credit: Getty Images
