Exclusive: Trying to get things right, says U-19 World Cup winning captain Unmukt Chand

Unmukt Chand, who was once hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket, is eyeing a return to form in the domestic circuit.

India's 2012 U-19 World Cup-winning captain had a great start to his career. He made his first-class debut as a teenager and became a household name after the final versus Australia in Townsville wherein he scored an unbeaten hundred to guide India U-19 to the World Cup title.

In his first season in Ranji Trophy, Unmukt scored a 111 against an experienced Railways attack. He made his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils in 2012 and continued to play for them in the following season. He was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 65 Lakhs in the 2013 IPL Auction.

During 2014, Mumbai Indians picked him but didn’t get enough opportunities. Since then, he has gone unsold in the IPL Auction.

In an exclusive Interview with Sportskeeda, Unmukt opens up on his career thus far and the experience of sharing the dressing room with legends.

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You have been putting in a lot of effort for a long time now. But it must be disappointing for you after being unsold for the IPL auctions for the third consecutive year?

Happens. It's a part of life. Obviously, it’s not a very good feeling. Such things do happen in life and when good things we don’t question and sometimes bad things also happen. The last two or three years haven’t been great for me, individually in terms of my career as I have not played regularly. But it’s a part of the game and I am working hard towards becoming better and trying to get things right. I am trying that when the opportunity comes again I should be better.

You have been part of 3 IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, sharing the dressing room with legends like Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid. What advice did they give you personally?

Yes, I have shared the dressing room with many legends. It’s been a great experience overall. You speak to these guys you share the dressing room for two months with them. You learn many things. It’s very difficult to point one of them. But definitely, it’s about their practice routines, their work ethics and all those things you learn. But one thing is that they have a lot of faith in their abilities and strengths and that’s what takes them forward. Every player has a different game but ultimately it’s about the confidence they have in themselves and that’s what takes them forward. We can learn the confidence that one has in his own abilities and anyone can go there and deliver when it matters.

With different franchises, you have opened the batting and played in the middle-order. Personally, do you prefer being in the opening slot or in the middle-order or as a finisher?

I have always opened the batting since the beginning of my career. In the shorter versions of the game, I have batted at number 3 and 4. If you ask me personally, I have a niche for opening the batting. But definitely, I can bat in the middle order if the team asks me to.

Who do you think is the best young talent in India right now?

There are many players who are doing well and are special. They all are contributing you can’t point out one name. But having played Rishabh Pant for Delhi, I think he is really special and has got some good hitting abilities and he is a different player.