Jaydev Unadkat on his Rs 11.5 crore IPL auction bid: I kind of froze for a while

India's Jaydev Unadkat celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka's Niroshan Dickwella during the second T20I at Indore last December. Pic/AFP

As the bidding accelerated and touched the Rs 10 crore mark, Jaydev Unadkat went numb for a moment on Sunday. The left-arm pacer was on the ground, practising with his Saurashtra teammates while following the auction on his mobile phone.

Going with the flow
"I went blank at that moment. I did not understand what was happening. I was going with the flow and thinking for whom I will get to play for. It was good that I was with my teammates as that tense moment got lightened up a bit. I kind of froze for a while," Unadkat told mid-day from Rajkot moments after becoming the most expensive Indian player in the Indian Premier League's two-day mega auction which concluded on Sunday.

Fierce bidding
Unadkat was snapped up for Rs 11.5 crore after fierce bidding by Rajasthan Royals, who also made the highest bid for Ben Stokes (Rs 12.5 crore) during the auction on Saturday. "Honestly, I didn't have any particular figure in my mind, but I knew there would be many franchises bidding for me since I did well in the last IPL. The kind of form that I was in, I knew that teams would bid for me.

Also read - IPL Auction 2018: Jaydev Unadkat becomes most expensive Indian player at Rs 11.5 crore

"I didn't want to focus too much on the money part. It is heartening to see that the teams stretched their purse to get me. "It was heartening to see the teams having so much confidence in me," said Unadkat. Although Unadkat has been performing consistently for Saurashtra in the last couple of seasons, the IPL-10 with Rising Pune Supergiant, where he was bought at his base price for R30 lakh, brought him back into national reckoning. Unadkat was the second highest wicket-taker in the last IPL with 24 scalps in 12 matches.

It also paved the way for his comeback in the Indian team for the Sri Lanka T20 series last month. Yesterday's jackpot was an overwhelming experience for Unadkat. "It didn't really matter that I was sold for my base price in the last auction. I was just hoping to get a chance to play in the last IPL and then do well from there on to prove that I am still capable. That was the aim last year. "I didn't even think that I was sold for my base price. It is something very special to have the feeling of being valued at such a price in the IPL," he said.

High on self-belief
Unadkat felt the self-belief in his ability is the key to his revival. "The fitness has gone up which has impacted my performance. However, the main thing was self-confidence because I doubted myself and was thinking a lot on what I was not able to do. "Once I started thinking positively, I began focusing on my strengths rather than stressing over my weaknesses. I backed my skills and the confidence that I got from the last IPL and playing for Saurashtra was immense," he concluded.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go