Slower ones and variation in pace worked: Jaidev Unadkat

With a five-wicket haul against the Delhi Daredevils, Jaidev Unadkat helped Royal Challengers Bangalore win a crucial contest at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The left-arm pacer started off by claiming the dangerous DD openers – Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag and then returned to strike a double blow in the 17th over. Even as the host batters put up a fight with the willow, the pacer struck to remove Unmukt Chand who had anchored the DD innings and Kedar Jadhav to keep his team on top. When Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel threatened to take the match away from the visitors, he defended 19 runs in the last over to help snatch a four-run win. In that process, he sent back Morkel and finished with a five for 25.

While speaking to iplt20.com after his match winning performance, Unadkat said varying the pace and bowling the slower ones helped him to successfully bowl his quota of four overs.

Excerpts from the interview:

What was the plan while bowling to Mahela Jayawardene and Virender Sehwag?

We did not planned for those two but we had done overall planning that we would try to bowl in the right areas and keep varying the pace. The wicket was a little dry. And we stuck to the plan and it was a good thing that I got the two wickets. We needed those wickets in the Power-Plays early on.

When you came on to bowl, Sehwag was timing the ball well. What was going through your mind and what was your plan?

If you have things like that in mind then the ball won’t fall in the right areas. There are chances of going for boundaries so it was better for me to sick to my plans and I was be clear in mind of what I wanted to bowl to him and the rest we could figure out.

My plan was to vary the pace. The batters were hitting the ball really well with the pace and the wicket too was a little dry. I bowled a lot of slower ones and it worked for me on Friday. 

What was the plan when you were handed the ball in the last over and Irfan Pathan was striking it well?

I had bowled three good overs before that, so my confidence was high. I feel we had to win this match. In the last two matches we had lost close games. I was backing myself to bowl six good balls and think about it a ball at a time. And once I reached my bowling mark, I went off to bowl according to my plan no matter what the result. 

It was a crucial win given the position in the points table. Your take on the win

Thursday’s was a very motivational performance. It was very important for us to win. We had lost close games in the last two-three encounters so this was really important and I am really happy that things went our way at the right point of time.

What are your strengths?

My strength is varying the pace and bowling the Yorkers. My favourite delivery is the slower one that I bowl.

source: iplt20.com