Jaydev Unadkat: All you need to know about the 26-year-old comeback man

Having played a total of nine games over an international career spread across six years, Jaydev Unadkat’s international stint hasn’t taken off as it was projected to. However, as has been the case with several others, a fruitful IPL outing has breathed new life into his stagnating career, as he returns to the Indian side for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Born in Porbandar, Unadkat caught the attention of those around him with his fluidic action. He “loved to bowl fast”, and quickly rose through the ranks to find a spot in the India U-19 side, champions in the previous editions, for the World Cup in New Zealand in 2010.

Part of the India U-19 team that was led by Ashok Menaria, who later went on to play for Rajasthan Royals, Unadkat had a worthwhile visit to the Enzed, picking up seven wickets from four games.

Right after the World Cup, he was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Playing only his second game of the IPL, he produced a match-winning spell of 4-0-26-3 against the Rajasthan Royals.

Unadkat shone for India A in 2010

The England tour with the India-A side helped Unadkat hone his talent and apply more swing to his deliveries, and was a tour later described by the then 19-year-old as a turning point. He took 13 wickets against West Indies in one of the games.

The progression from there on was rapid, and even before playing a single domestic game, Unadkat was called up to be part of the Indian side for the Australia series in 2010.

He made his debut for the Indian side during a Test against South Africa the same year, as a last-minute replacement for Zaheer Khan. He did not manage to pick up a single wicket, and went into the wilderness soon after.

Two and a half years later, Unadkat made his ODI debut for the side against Zimbabwe, picking up eight wickets in nine games.

Highly rated by Wasim Akram, Unadkat has admitted time and again that he has been heavily influenced by the Pakistani great, who taught him the nuances of swing bowling. Akram was part of the KKR setup when Unadkat plied his trade for the IPL franchise.

Wasim Akram has been part of KKR's setup for years, helping young, aspiring bowlers

Unadkat was one of the big buys of IPL 2013, when he was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for $525,000, in comparison to his base value of $100,000. He played 13 games in total, the most he has played in a single season, and picked up as many wickets.

A back injury in 2014 threatened to ruin his career progression, but he bounced back in some style in the 2015-16 Ranji season, picking up as many as 40 wickets.

He returned to the Indian side, albeit just for a one-off T20I against Zimbabwe in 2016, before being left in the lurch again.

Unadkat wrecked the SRH batting lineup with a devastating hat-trick

While his appearances in IPL 2015 and 2016 were restricted to one game each, IPL 2017 turned out to be a breakthrough season. Physically fitter, and possessing a number of variations, Unadkat picked up a whopping 24 wickets from 12 games for the Rising Pune Supergiant, including a hat-trick against Sunrisers Hyderabad, finishing with two five-wicket hauls in the season. He ended as the second highest-wicket taker in the season.