I could see how happy he was for me: Jaydev Unadkat reveals Pujara’s special reaction

Jaydev Unadkat staged a return to the international circuit after a staggering gap of 12 years as he was summoned to the Indian squad to be a part of the Test squad against Bangladesh and he eventually made it to the playing XI for the final Test match of the series.

India desperately kept on looking for a scalp in the first innings when Bangladesh seemed rock-solid in the opening stand with Zakir Hassan and Najmul Hossain Shanto batting decently, keeping the Indian bowling unit at bay. It was eventually Jaydev Unadkat who would return for another spell, managing to produce that extra bounce, removing the big wicket of Zakir Hassan.

It may be just a scalp for the world but for the man himself, it was a huge moment. Making return after almost 12 years, Jaydev Unadkat said that more than himself, the Indian vice-captain for the Test match, Cheteshwar Pujara was happy. Talking to PTI, he said, “I wasn't playing in the first game but I wore the shirt for the first time he said 'you are looking good'. That came straight from the heart and I could see how happy he was for me.”

He further added, “It was special to play with him. He told me to keep pushing myself all these years to get that chance. He has been part of the team for more than 10 years now, I look up to him in a way that I also want to be part of the team the way he has been. With all ups and downs he faced in his career and still play 98 Tests has been immensely motivating for me."

He talked in detail about the prized scalp of Zakir Hassan, stating, “I was trying to extract bounce off length and I felt I could do that. The feeling [of bagging his first Test wicket] will remain one of the most special memories of my cricketing career. Getting a Test wicket is something I visualised 1000 times.”

Unadkat concluded, “I got my chance as the management felt I was suited to the pitch. The conditions were similar [to Rajkot]. [There was] not a lot of pace off the wicket and you will have to extract whatever you can by hitting the length hard. I knew if I will stick to my strengths, there will be something coming my way and that is how I got that extra bounce."