I've got 10 years of international cricket left in me: Unmukt Chand

Nine years after captaining India to an Under-19 World Cup win, Unmukt Chand retired from Indian cricket in August 2021. Earmarked for greatness from an early age, Chand could never emulate his age-level exploits in senior cricket. After a number of below par seasons in domestic cricket, he decided to shift to the USA.

The weight of massive talent became unbearable to him. He failed big time at the IPL and ordinary List A numbers didn't really help. After retiring from Indian cricket, Chand played the Big Bash League and is now here in Bangladesh participating at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). It's not the first time Chand is playing domestic cricket here though, having played the 50-over DPL before.

In an interview with The Business Standard, Chand spoke about his experience in Bangladesh, his much-talked about shift to the USA, his cricketing goals and what actually went wrong after the historic World Cup triumph.

How's the BPL journey been here for you so far?

Obviously [the experience] hasn't been ideal. I didn't get to play many games and also couldn't bat in my [preferred] position. I usually open the batting or play at number three. Unfortunately, the team has not been too good either. It would have been great if we had won a few more games and I had played more matches. But it's franchise cricket and you got to take it. 

How good or bad has the BPL been in terms of quality?

The quality has been great I must say. Although we didn't play too well, I enjoyed the games a lot. The teams have done a really good job. I would love to come to the BPL again.

You've played domestic cricket here before. Which aspect of Bangladesh cricket do you think is great?

The DPL is one of the best tournaments in Bangladesh. The BPL is also a good tournament. It's been competitive, the quality of cricket has been excellent. There is always room for improvement. I hope there is more buzz around it next year. I want to come back to Bangladesh again. The players are very helpful and jovial. 

Do you think it's possible for you to forget the past decade's failure and perform well in international cricket?

Why not? I've had decent success in India. Every player wants to play for his country. But things always don't go your way. You should accept it and be at peace with it. I've got ten years of international cricket left in me now that I am going to be eligible to play for the USA next year. I'm going to put my everything into it. 

Is it challenging for a youngster to adapt to T20 cricket as there is no proper T20 structure in age-level cricket?

It's a gradual process. Yes, age-level cricket is more three-day, four-day and one-day based. But nowadays, everyone watches the IPL growing up. So I think it won't be too difficult to switch to T20 cricket. I rather think it will be difficult to switch to Test cricket as we are heading towards a T20-heavy future.

You have had early success with the U-19 World Cup win and captaining the team. What would you have done differently to take your career to the heights you were initially touted to hit?

I've had success in U-19 cricket and for India A. You can call it luck, you can call it so many things but somehow [the talent] didn't translate into something great. But still you got to do work hard and find your own way. It won't necessarily be similar to what people think. I still have a lot of years in front of me to make up for lost time. There are a lot of players who have made it big in international and franchise cricket after turning 30. 

People used to compare you with Virat Kohli during your early days. But you couldn't serve India. What went wrong?

Sometimes things don't go according to plan and sometimes you also have to look at the dynamics. There was a time when Viru [Virender Sehwag] bhai and Gautam [Gambhir] bhai were opening, Shikhar [Dhawan] was opening after that. Sometimes you need your preferred position to be vacant. Often you do well and don't get chances and vice versa. I was leading India A and there were fifteen players under me. All of them have represented India. Chance is sometimes a matter of luck. You never know what would happen if I converted a couple of fifties into hundreds. I never had a proper run at the IPL. I had been in India A for so long. All the players with me played for the national team. 

You became hugely popular after the World Cup and were linked with six brands. You were seen in an ad with Kohli and MS Dhoni. Do you think the early stardom held you back?

With stardom, you make a lot of enemies. I actually can't talk a lot about this. When I look back, I feel these things influenced [my career] in a wrong way. But I did what I did as a professional. That was another part of my career which I was doing because it came along. Those things backfired but I didn't have control over it.

Do you regret any decision that you made early in your career? What's the biggest mistake you've made?

Mistake is a very big word. These are lessons. You got to learn every day and do better. As a batter, I think I should have converted those fifties, sixties, seventies into hundreds for India A. Then again, as a player you play your heart out and don't play for milestones. 

When and why did you decide to shift to the USA?

Last two-three years in India were not ideal for me. I've been in trouble with my state association from 2018 onwards. At one stage, I was playing for India A and they dropped me from the Delhi squad. Those were signs that indicated things were not going well. Somewhere I lost heart. I felt other things were being taken into consideration rather than cricket. That's when I decided to move out of India. 

How's the cricketing situation in the USA?

It's been great. This year they are starting Major League Cricket. The T20 World Cup next year is going to be co-hosted by the USA. A big market for cricket is opening in the USA. 

How much do you think you can help USA cricket?

I will be representing them from next year onwards. 2024 is a World Cup year and as an associate nation, their main target will be to get into the mainstream. Now we've got a good enough side to be able to do that. 

Tell us about the book you wrote..

It's called "The Sky Is The Limit". It's a memoir about the World Cup win. It's about my diaries I used to keep during the World Cup about my whole journey - how I grew up in India, the struggles a teenager faces there in studies and cricket. I was lucky enough to play top-flight cricket before that World Cup. It will help you understand what Indian cricket is all about and how players from different states came together to win the World Cup. The book is available on Amazon.