Jaydev Unadkat on bowling in UAE flat tracks: 'Even if you get hit, you must come back stronger'

Jaydev Unadkat, the Rajasthan Royals pacer, believes that the conditions in the UAE for the second leg of IPL 2021 will be similar to last year with high-scoring games expected on flat wickets. With the competition set to resume in Dubai on September 19, the left-arm pacer is confident that Royals, who are placed fifth in the table currently, "can perform well" despite missing the likes of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.

"It is harder to bowl when the boundaries are smaller like in Sharjah because the batsmen are more confident of clearing the boundary, but you have to accept the challenge and find ways to bowl," Unadkat, who has accumulated 85 wickets in 84 matches in the IPL, said.

"We know that those games are going to be high scoring, so you got to be aware that even if you get hit, you must come back stronger.

"It's not about going for 24 runs or getting 2 wickets - it's about restricting those boundaries. In a ground which is small, and has flat wickets, every single ball matters. We played quite a few games on all the grounds last season, and the wickets and the weather are going to be similar, and we're confident that we can do well."

Unadkat, 29, also revealed that he has worked on some of the technicalities in his bowling during the offseason, at his hometown in Rajkot. Having made a decent start to the season, which includes him picking up a three-wicket haul against the Delhi Capitals, Unadkat is keen on "looking to continue doing the same in this phase as well."

"I wanted to make a few changes in my bowling action, so (I) was working on that, and that itself requires a good amount of time," Unadkat, who picked up four wickets in four matches in the first half of the IPL that was held in India, said. "So, I was devoted towards making those changes and getting used to them."

It was also the time when he was ignored for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, when India fielded a second-string side. He had a record-breaking 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season when he picked up 67 wickets that culminated in Saurashtra's historic win and was in contention. However, his Royals team-mate Chetan Sakariya was drafted into the squad.

Unadkat, who took a break from social media after the disappointment, feels "that kind of a phase can actually help you at times" and helps in one coming back stronger with renewed confidence.

"I wanted to do some work with my bowling and wanted to go off the attention a bit. It's always nice if you can have some time with only yourself and the family, and not really listen to what the outside world has to say about you," he said.

"And I've done that in the past as well so it's kind of a normal process which gives me that space to go deep and just be honest with myself and find out what I need to work on, and what I'm good at. That helps in gathering confidence again and come back stronger."