Former India Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand said he loses no sleep despite not getting selected for the senior Indian team and that he has taken the disappointment in his stride.
Chand was tipped for success after leading the Indian team to the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup title. He was a key member of that squad, after ending up as the top run-getter during the tournament with 246 runs from six matches. During the final against Australia, the Delhi batsman scored a match-winning ton to lead his side to a comfortable win.
His performances at the U-19 World Cup saw him being compared to Virat Kohli, who had similarly led India to the trophy during the previous edition. Chand later went to captain the India A team but did not get a call-up to the Indian team as his form witnessed a slump.
“It’s not like I didn’t get opportunities after the Under-19 World Cup win,” Chand told commentator Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
“I played for India A and I was captaining the team for two-three years till 2016 as well. I was getting runs. At times I was told [by the selectors] ‘just be ready, we’ll be picking you’. It didn’t happen but that’s okay. To say if I could have played [for the Indian team], I would have done this and that and so many other things... but the most important thing is what happened and what I can gained from it.”
Chand feels luck and the combinations preferred in the Indian team were crucial factors behind him not getting selected. He said it was tough to break into the team as an opener with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir performing well but when the opportunity arrived, his performance witnessed a slump.
“Sometimes, [when it comes to playing for] the Indian team it is about the combination and other things. I remember clearly that when things were going well with me, Viru bhaiya and Gautam bhaiya used to open for India. Then, there was a time when there was a shortage of good openers but during that year, I didn’t perform well. So I would say things didn’t come together.
“I take it in my stride. I have had many good opportunities and even though that couldn’t materialise into getting an India cap, it’s all just a journey. I’ll be able to talk about it better when I finish off with cricket.”
Chand described winning the U-19 World Cup as a dream. He said that he was aware that he might not be selected for the team despite performing well at the Under-19 level.
“Of course, for any Under-19 player, the World Cup is the most important thing. The hard work of so many years – from junior cricket, Under-16 and so on... it’s like a summit for any junior cricketer to reach there. When you start playing, the dream is to play for India but winning the [Under-19] World Cup before that is also a dream,” he said.
“Four years ago, I had seen Virat bhaiya leading the side and winning the cup, so since it was fresh in the memory, winning was important for me. I knew stories our could be different. It’s not like you always automatically play for India but for me, it was more important to win the Under-19 World Cup. I wanted to do well there and then see how the story unfolds.”
‘Felt as if my clothes were ripped apart’
Chand even plied his trade in the Indian Premier League as he was part of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) from 2011 for two seasons. He represented Rajasthan Royals in 2014 before joining Mumbai Indians the next season, where he played for the franchise from 2015-’16.
The right-hander also went on to captain the Delhi one-day team while being part of the India A set-up but subsequently lost his place in the team once he went unpicked during the 2017 IPL auction. Chand described that moment as the biggest shock of his career.
“The biggest shock for me came when I was dropped from the one-day team of Delhi [in 2013]. That year I was captaining the India A side, scoring runs, playing zonal T20 Cricket in Mumbai and they [Delhi selectors] dropped me from the one-day squad only. I was playing with Shikhar [Dhawan] and Gautam [Gambhir] bhai and everyone else, the selectors told me that we are preparing you for something else,” he said.
“2017 was the first time I was dropped from India A and the IPL as well. It’s a funny story again. I was in Mumbai Indians and they had retained me. It was such a big team that I was not getting many games there so I wanted to go to a side where I got to play matches. I spoke to someone and he told me to leave Mumbai Indians and come to them. Just because I wanted to play, it was not about money. I wanted to play even if I was being picked at my base price because that was more important rather than sitting out.”
He added: “Eventually, during the auctions, I went unpicked. It stood in my face that there was suddenly no IPL, no Delhi cricket. It was the biggest shock for me. I felt as if my clothes were ripped apart – suddenly from everywhere to nowhere. I woke up after two-three days and went to practice and everything became usual. That is when I realised my love for the game and that I cannot stay without cricket. Even though the last two-three years have not gone my way, I do feel down at times but that doesn’t mean it is the end of the road.”
Watch the full chat between Unmukt Chand and Aakash Chopra: