Unadkat finds second wind after return from injury

When Jaydev Unadkat tells you that 'switching off' is integral to his game it is easy to mistake it for the kind of jargon that spontaneously seems to roll off a modern cricketer's tongue. He has, after all, been as 'switched on' as only somebody who has prised out 20 wickets in two matches can be - his destruction of Vidarbha and Assam in the knockouts saw Saurashtra make the final of the Ranji Trophy for the first time since 2012-13.

But you only need to go back to August 2014 to see where Unadkat is coming from. During India A's tour of Australia, Unadkat developed trouble in the lower back region which was eventually diagnosed as stress fracture. For four months thereon, Unadkat was forced to push the 'pause' button. He didn't go anywhere close to the ground during the first two months, following which he kept bowling off short strides for four weeks before eventually bowling off a short run-up. Unadkat played only one Ranji Trophy game in the 2014-15 season, four in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and made one appearance for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2015.

The downtime helped him indulge in luxuries he had missed - spending time at home, catching up with friends and cousins, and a family holiday. More important, however, was the perspective that kicked in. "Sometimes it happens that you take things for granted and in times like these you start counting your blessings," Unadkat tells ESPNcricinfo. "When you are going through a season you don't really pause to reflect where you are standing at present in life. Sometimes we just look at the negatives, don't look at the positives of how our career is going. All of us are really blessed to pursue something which we really love.

"Switching off only helped me. I was thinking a lot about my game during that period. I guess I would have become that [a cricket nut]. [Now] I don't keep on talking about the game. Probably that has helped me overcome this. I was refreshed and eagerly waiting to start playing again so that motivated me again when I came back."

By his own admission he emerged a better person at the end of a phase where combating negativity was the biggest challenge. "[It was] probably the time after the injury that did that [made me a better person]," he says. "Rather than those four months the next three months were more difficult when I started bowling. I wasn't feeling as if I was the same bowler. It was in the back of my mind, 'What if I try to give my full effort and it occurs again?' That can be the limit of self-belief going down. I have felt that in those two months. I wasn't really feeling that I could really bowl at the highest level.

"[I] probably [developed] a bit of control over my thoughts. I was talking to a couple of coaches - I don't want to name them - who said the technical faults in my action - a semi-open action is probably a mixed action - won't allow me to bowl fast and will keep giving me injuries. That has kept haunting me... if I can I manage with those technical flaws? I wanted to be clear with my thoughts [and] that's one thing I was working on."

A welcome consequence of Unadkat's injury and his non-selection for India or India A matches was the time he found to work on his strength and stamina and the mental aspects of bowling. He has also looked visibly quicker than he was a year or two ago. "These two-three months in between, the off season that I got, were really crucial. Because of the work I put in the period I can see the difference in my bowling [speed] and I have been able to persist with it throughout the season. Someone told me I clocked 138-139 [kmph in the Assam game]. I have increased my pace by at least 4-5 kmph.

He also attributes his improved performance to a better balance between his bowling sessions and gym work. "I have bowled a lot in the off season. I wasn't bowling this much in the past. I mean I was focusing on gym and all, but I wasn't bowling much," he says. "You need to have a work log for yourself where you can see it's not going above the limit. But it's important to keep bowling, keep pushing yourself in the nets as well.

"I would say during the season [bowling in the nets] is not much. But in the off season I have really pushed it a lot. My workload has increased 20 or 30% more than in the past. I bowl probably eight to ten overs in a session and I do at least five sessions of bowling a week apart from the running and agility sessions."

Unadkat has sought to upgrade his skill quotient and in the process has acquired some valuable pointers from Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan. "I have met a lot of good people on the way. Bharath Arun sir was in the NCA when I used to go to NCA a lot in the last couple of seasons. He has been guiding me.

"Zaheer bhai used to use the angles a lot. He would always tell us that it is about going one step above the batsman. You should be knowing as a batsman what would you think if you were in his place. I have seen him do that [go round the stumps and move the ball away from the right hander]. I have practised that a lot in the nets. That angle is really difficult for a batsman.

"I was also making sure [during the Ranji semi-final] that I don't fall over at the time of delivery. I don't want to bowl faster and in the process end up losing my bowling shape. I wanted to hold my non-bowling arm till the end. Those are a couple of things I am working on."

Unadkat also gets his adrenalin rush from movies and songs. He listened to Zinda from Bhaag Milkha Bhag on the way to the ground before unleashing a fiery spell against Assam in the second innings in Vadodara. "I have my specific playlist when it comes to listening songs on match days - a couple of songs from Lakshya or Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and English songs like Stand up for the champion and Eye of the Tiger. My favourite movies have been Lagaan, Iqbal and I like those movies related to the army as well.

"All the movies which have positive vibes like conquering something and proving something to your country or yourself… I just get that sense of inspiration. When you are going through your routines this helps you to get that adrenaline high."

His biggest influences off the field are his older sister, Dheera, and team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara. "The only girl that I adore at present is my sister. I am very close to her. There was one time when I was playing for RCB and she felt that season would be the turning point for me. She would send me something in red to wish me luck before every game as it matched the colour of our team kit. She doesn't talk cricket at home and motivates me at the right time.

"Cheteshwar has been my best friend since the last five-six years now. I have gained a lot of maturity from him. I have tried to learn from him is his approach for the game and the discipline he has in all his schedules. We share rooms. Even if we get single rooms we try to stay together. That bond is something we cherish. Whatever cricket I talk about is with him."