Left-arm gunner Jaydev Unadkat might have not expected his comeback in the blues after the talks for Shami’s replacement were revolving around Umran Malik. BCCI once again surprised the Indian fans after calling Jaydev Unadkat to the red-ball series against Bangladesh. Unadkat, who played his only Test match in 2010 was called after 12 long years.
The recent domestic tournament – Vijay Hazare Trophy was won by team Saurashtra led by Jaydev Unadkat and the pacer also concluded his journey as a the highest wicket taker for the tournament. Unadkat, one of the most successful pacers in Indian domestic cricket, has taken 353 wickets in 96 matches over the course of his career. This includes a record-breaking 67-wicket Ranji Trophy season in 2019–20, where he helped Saurashtra win their first Ranji Trophy championship.
Unadkat replacing Shami may not be exactly a like-for-like replacement, but the veteran pacer was chosen based on recent performances, according to sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He had 19 wickets in 10 games during the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, making him the tournament’s top wicket-taker.
If Unadkat is given the opportunity to play in one of the two Tests in Bangladesh, he will break Parthiv Patel’s record for the longest gap between two Tests by an Indian cricketer. The left-arm pacer, who is now 31 years old, played his only Test match in Centurion against South Africa in 2010.
