After not being picked for the first clash, Rajasthan Royals (RR) left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat said that whenever he would get a chance, he had to grab his opportunity. In the clash against Delhi Capitals (DC), the bowler did just that at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and finished his four overs with figures of 4-0-15-3.
Opening the bowling for RR, Unadkat dismissed in-form openers – Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. He then sent back Ajinkya Rahane towards the end of the powerplay. He also shared an unbeaten partnership of 46 runs off 23 balls with Chris Morris to bag the Player-of-the-Match award.
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Unadkat spoke about his marriage and how it changed him as a person. He got married in February 2021.
"[Marriage] changes you as a person as a whole. I won the Ranji Trophy (2019-20) after I was engaged. I feel calmer, more settled. I think it’s working. Nothing like coming to the ground, hugging your wife and then sitting beside guys believing in you," said Unadkat, who was picked by RR for a record INR 11.5 crore in IPL 2018.
Unadkat also spoke about his comfort in opening the bowling. He said: "I think I have a lot of experience now. This was kind of a homecoming for me, I would like to bowl with the freedom I got with the new ball, something I couldn’t do last season. This time I didn't get the first game so I knew when the chances came, I'd have to take them. Worked out really well today.
"If you see the stats, I think I only bowled about 4 or 5 change of pace. It was the wickets I got. That's why it seemed like I bowled more, but it was about hitting the hard lengths today. There was moisture, and I made use of it today."
As for the clash, RR were without the services of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.