“Efforts are being made to give opportunities to the youngsters. As captain, I want this change to be smooth,” Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo. “We want young players to come forward and we want them to be given maximum opportunities. I want young players to establish themselves in our team during my captaincy.”
Over the last five Ranji seasons, dating back to 2018-19, Saurashtra has reached the final three times. Unadkat was his captain on each occasion, and even led his team to the title twice: in 2019-20 and 2022-23. Saurashtra also reached the quarter-finals last year, but this season they are at risk of being eliminated in the group stage. But Unadkat understands that a changing of the guard is inevitable as seniors like Sheldon Jackson (38), Cheteshwar Pujara (36) and Arpit Vasavada (36) are near the end of their careers. Even Dharmendrasinh Jadeja is 34 years old, while Unadkat himself is 33 years old.
“It’s not like players keep coming and going,” he said. “We know that when a transition period comes for a team, performance goes up and down; but this is part of this game.”
Despite that, as captain, Unadkat remains focused on how to lead his team to victory every time he takes the field.
“If you ask me what is the most important thing for me, I would say that I keep thinking of ways to lead Saurashtra to victory. I think about my team. When I wake up in the morning, the first thought that comes to my mind is how will they win our team and how it will improve. This is the biggest motivation for me right now.”
‘IPL auction is nothing new for me’
“I’m definitely very excited about the auction. The auction is nothing new to me,” he said. “The mega auction is a great opportunity, but whatever the results of the auction, I am fully prepared to accept it… Hopefully, SRH will select me again in their team. But even if they don’t, or something else happens, I’m ready for it.
“I played for eight teams; now, even if there is a ninth team, or I get a chance for any team, I don’t have any problem. If I get my bowling role and can play, I will be satisfied. I was in Lucknow before. [Super Giants, in 2023]; Before that, I was in Mumbai. [Indians, in 2022]. I got [to play] “Very few games there, but I was still very happy with that setup.”
