Indian cricketer in focus: Jaydev Unadkat - In the image of Zaheer Khan

His fantastic growth under Wasim Akram helped him cement a place in the India A squad which toured England in 2010. He debuted for India A in a match against the West Indies A team, and what a dream debut it was. He picked up a memorable tally of 13 wickets for a measly 103 runs and won India A the match.

Jaydev Unadkat learned much in KKR under Wasim Akram

His consistent performances for India A meant a sure call up to the national team. He was selected for India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2010 as a nets bowler and was later included in the squad that was to tour South Africa towards the end of the year.

The injury to Indian pace spearhead Zaheer Khan meant he would make his debut for the national team. He went wicketless for 26 overs, leaking 102 runs, resulting in him being dropped for the remainder of the series.

The drop from the squad indicated that he wasn’t ready for the lime-light, and he wasn’t well equipped to carry the burden of the whole national team just then. This led him to believe that a consistent performance in the domestic circuit was the only thing that could save his nascent career.

He promptly returned to his childhood coach and worked with him relentlessly for days at end, sometimes working 10 hours a day. Strict diets, hard workouts to improve fitness and countless sessions in the nets helped him recover his lost confidence.

His action was now becoming more streamlined and his run-ups more fluid. Unadkat finally began to see the light at the end of the tunnel when his strong performances in the IPL and Ranji trophy for Saurashtra paid dividends, he was called up for the India A tour of New Zealand in 2012-13 seasons. He picked up 10 wickets at an impressive average of 14.30 with 2 four wicket hauls. He saw his confidence coming back to him, and in style too.

They say there is no substitute for hard work. Unadkat took that saying very seriously. Even after his training payed rich dividends, he trained long and hard to achieve success, but his consistency was a major deal-breaker. He never put in those breathtaking performances consistently enough.

His consistency was one of the major reasons for him making irregular appearances for his Ranji team, and an even more delayed appearance to the national team.

His true breakthrough came in the IPL, when he was selected for KKR. On his second chance on the field, he picked up 3 wickets against the Rajasthan Royals and fielded really well, a performance which earned him the man of the match award. His newfound consistency helped him re-enter the Indian team for the Australia series, though he hasn’t played any Tests after that poor debut.

He was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a princely sum of $575,000 in the auction earlier this year. His inclusion in the squad was due to the fact that the RCB didn’t have any respectable depth in the bowling department, and also due to the fact that he was coming in for Zaheer Khan(who was out due to injury) once again. It’s as if destiny had written this tale for him, and given him a well deserved second chance.