Unmukt now a Daredevil,officially

“It could have been a different story if Delhi hadn’t called me but once I got an offer from them,I decided this was it. Moreover,the Daredevils have always been my favourite side and I would like to do well for a team I have been cheering for so long,” Chand told Sportline.

His success formula has been simple — scoring lots of runs,firstly in the U-19 category this year including a couple of centuries,then his inclusion in the Delhi squad for Ranji Trophy. While he was kept out of the Ranji side for initial matches,he made the most of the opportunity when he was called to open,hitting a century in his fourth first-class match. “My plan was to perform well without thinking of future plans. Thankfully,I succeeded in scoring runs,” says Chand.

He believes his exploits in last edition’s Ranji one-dayers have helped him in creating a positive impression. After he was through with his first-class season last year,he was called by the Daredevils to join them for some practice matches at Kotla. “Due to shortage of players,me and a few other players were called to fill in the voids. Luckily I scored about 30 runs and coach Greg Shepherd was happy with my batting. Team manager Ashish Kapoor also praised me which was definitely a confidence booster,” adds the 17-year-old.

Now he is excited to meet the foreign players and Virender Sehwag. Though Gautam Gambhir and a few others will be seen in action for other franchises,he feels it is Sehwag’s presence that will be a motivational factor.

“It will be a great learning experience. He is one of the most experienced players in the side and I will get to learn so many things. It will be great to share the dressing room with him,” says Chand.

But more than the IPL,it is the ongoing pre-boards which top his ‘to do’ list. A class XII student,he says studies are equally important for him. While his pre-boards will continue for another week,the boards exams might clash with the major tournaments that lay ahead.

“I have to study well. As my exams will start in March and end in April,I just want to make sure that I start preparing now. Along with the studies,my focus is also on the Ranji one day matches which will be a good practice for the IPL,” Chand says.