Unmukt presents his case

But they certainly tried their best to impress the team management on Tuesday,coming up with sparkling performances with the bat and the ball,respectively,as the Daredevils played a practice match among themselves at the Roshanara ground.

The 18-year-old Unmukt,who had scored an unbeaten 60 in the first warm-up game at the Kotla,showed scant regard to an experienced attack that included the likes of Ajit Agarkar,James Hopes and Ashok Dinda.

The Bengal pacer started aggressively sending down a vicious bouncer that forced Unmukt to take an evasive action. But the right-handed batsman got into his groove two balls later as he pulled Dinda over mid wicket for a massive six,the first of the three huge hits in 49-run knock that also included six fours.

A deserved half-century was there for the taking but Unmukt ran himself out,looking to steal a single that wasn’t there.

“It is all about confidence,” Unmukt told Sportline. “Since my natural style is to play shots,I don’t find it tough to switch formats. But yes playing all these international bowlers like Morne Morkel,Ashok Dinda and Ajit Agarkar has helped me realise that how T20 should be played. And after scoring an unbeaten 60 in the first practice match at Kotla,Dinda got me out on the first ball in the second. So today I had planned to take him on right from the start.”

With the Daredevils announcing the 15-member main squad on April 7,Unmukt has given himself a real chance of making the cut.

“See I can’t say that what will happen but certainly I am looking forward to that,” he says. In team with a top-heavy batting order – the likes of Virender Sehwag,David Warner and Mathew Wade in the line-up – Unmukt could be drafted in to fill the gap in the middle order.

Meanwhile,left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra also threw his hat in the ring on Tuesday with figures of three for 30 in four overs. Vikas,who had a rough outing in the first match,looked settled. “With a lot of spinners vying for a place,I am keeping my fingers crossed. It is not that only I have performed poorly,others have too. If I get a place,it will be a dream come true,” says Mishra.