It’s another Ranji Trophy final for Jaydev Unadkat. But the Saurashtra captain, who returns to the side after spending a bit of time with the Indian Test team, does not want to think too much about the fact that they would be playing the final against Bengal at Eden Gardens - far away from ‘home’ in Rajkot.
In fact, Unadkat is pleased by the way his team performed in away games - barring the last league stage game against Tamil Nadu - and he believes that there’s enough experience in the ranks to handle the trickiest of situations.
When the two teams met for a summit clash the last time, in 2020, Saurashtra had the last laugh and this time around as Bengal eyes revenge, Unadkat wants his boys to cut the noise, stay calm and aim for another Ranji Trophy title.
In a chat with Sportstar, Unadkat speaks his mind about the big game.
Q) In what appears to be a revenge match for Bengal, what’s Saurashtra’s strategy for the final?
It’s a credit to both the teams to play another final. We shouldn’t look at it as revenge or something because both the teams have had a great season and that’s why they are here. The final will be a great contest, like it was in 2019-20 when we played in Rajkot. It was a hard-fought contest and we came out victorious on that occasion. But I know that any team that reaches the final would want to win the trophy and Bengal’s gonna try hard for it. But one thing for sure, we are going to try harder.
Q) Playing at home obviously boosts the confidence of a team. Now that Saurashtra plays the final, far away from home, how do you plan to cope with the situation?
Playing home and away makes a difference for teams who haven’t played too many away games and who haven’t played on different sort of wickets. But our squad is balanced. We have probably done better in away games this time as compared to Rajkot. It’s one of those factors where the team says that we have played a lot of games here and we do have an advantage, but I don’t look at it that way. We lost one game in Rajkot, we lost all our away games - except for the one against Tamil Nadu. Yes, we did have the home advantage the last time, and this time around, Bengal has it, which is fair and square.
Q) Traditionally, the Eden Gardens surface aids the seamers early on. Now that you are back in the squad, how much of a boost is it for Saurashtra fast bowling department?
We do have a really good balance in the team. Now that I am here, the fast bowling department is much stronger. That’s one department where we still don’t have a lot of bench strength, but now that I am here, the team is again at the best of its balance. We are in the best of our shape, and even Bengal is also playing the same team throughout, so even they are in their best shape. It’s going to be a contest of a group of players who have done reasonably well over the last few seasons.
Q) Top-order batting seems to be an area of concern for Saurashtra?
It’s one of those issues, yes. I think no team is perfect. Every team has one department, which is in-form and one department which is not in-form throughout the season. Yes, we have had a few games where the top-order hasn’t fired, but at the beginning of the game, they also played a crucial role to get us here. Those players have stood up for us, and it’s just a matter of stepping up at the right time for them. The experience they have, they would come good in a big match for us.
Q) There’s already a festive mood in Kolkata with the final around, and amid such a razzmatazz, what would you tell your boys to keep calm and focus on the job?
It’s easy when you have won a title in the same year. When you have a taste of victory, it is easier to tell the boys that we just have to do it one more time. We have done that in the recent past and it’s just one more game where we need to put our best foot forward and stand up for the team. Since we won the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently, the belief is going to be stronger in the dressing room. After that, it’s going to be a game of who’s better on that particular day and who’s winning the most number of sessions.
Q) The ‘full version’ of the DRS will be available for the final. How do you see that?
If it’s going to be there, it’s going to help us for sure. In a game like the final, both teams would want it to be fair and at times, umpires are human. So, if DRS is in place, it would be of advantage for sure.
Q) Another final in three years, what are the personal targets?
I believe in setting targets in terms of the legacy we leave behind. This time has already created a legacy in itself and I am proud of what we have achieved as a team. It gets bigger, better and sweeter with the more trophies we win. It’s going to be a shot at winning one more domestic title. We will be up and ready for it. But like I said, leaving behind a legacy will be our bigger target. I am happy that we have made it to another final and I would like to congratulate all the guys on yet another spectacular season.
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