I wanted to do it for the team: Unadkat

The team has come a long way playing lots of finals, says the skipper

Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat on Friday said the self-belief gained from the tough semifinal win over Gujarat helped his side turn the tide in its favour on the last day of the Ranji Troply final.

Unadkat said Saurashtra, which had some players who were sick, was keen to win its maiden title. “Though the energy levels were down, I think the way we won the semifinal gave us belief.

“We still had a lot of hope and that is why we went through,” said an emotionally-charged Unadkat.

Top achievement

For Unadkat, winning the Ranji Trophy was the top achievement. “It has never gotten bigger than this. Not just my achievement, it’s my State’s achievement.

“We have had a glorious cricketing legacy to carry as well. The team has come a long way, playing lots of finals.”

The left-arm pacer, who topped the bowling chart with 67 wickets, said his hunger was stronger than ever. “I have been working harder than many guys. It was not just the IPL on my mind at any time.

“I wanted to do it for the team. I wanted to prove to myself that I don’t want to play the game for something other than cricket.”

India Test batsman Pujara, who battled health issues while putting up a crucial century partnership with Arpit Vasavada, said it was a tough innings. “I’m someone who likes to lead from the front, but here I had to bat lower down the order.

Frustrating

“It was frustrating. On day two when I walked in, it was not easy. I felt a blackout, so it was tough. But you have to be motivated and set a good example.

“This was probably one of my slowest innings in the domestic circuit. It was a tough pitch. Needed to put my head down and play a crucial knock.”

On winning the championship, Pujara said, “When we came to finals last year, we had discussed that we had the potential to win. We decided to work hard for the trophy.”

Pujara said he expected Unadkat to return to the Indian side. “Jaydev was modest that he would not be thinking about the Indian call but I will be surprised if he is not picked in the Indian team,” said Pujara.

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