Jaydev Unadkat, a left-arm pacer, has reportedly been drafted into the Indian Test squad to replace the injured Mohammed Shami for the two-match series against Bangladesh, which begins on December 14. Unadkat, a domestic veteran, has not played for India in a Test match since his debut in South Africa in 2010. However, the left-arm pacer has been a consistent performer at the domestic level, leading Saurashtra to victory. He also had the most wickets in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy, with 67. With 19 wickets in 10 games, he was the top wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In total, he has 353 wickets from 96 first-class matches.
“Unadkat is currently in Rajkot, awaiting the completion of his visa formalities, and is expected to join the Test squad in Chattogram over the next couple of days,” ESPNCricinfo reported.
Shami, who was a part of both the ODI and Test squads for the Bangladesh tour, has been ruled out with a shoulder injury suffered during the preparations in the lead-up to the series. There were reports that Indian pacers Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar would be called in to cover Shami after both performed well in the recently concluded two-match unofficial Test series against Bangladesh A, but the team management chose Unadkat because of his experience.
If he is selected to play in any of the Tests in the series, Unadkat could break the record for the longest gap between two Tests by an Indian. The current record holder is former India’s Parthiv Patel, who had to wait eight years for a Test comeback.
India Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar have been asked to return to Bangladesh to serve as backups for captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Due to their injuries, both are unlikely to travel to Bangladesh. Though the BCCI has decided to play the waiting game with Rohit’s fitness, he will need a miracle to recover from a dislocated thumb. He was injured while attempting to take Bangladesh opener Anamul Haque Bijoy’s catch in the second One-Day International on December 7.
KL Rahul will open the batting alongside Shubman Gill in the first Test at Chattogram. If Rohit does not return, Rahul, the tour’s designated vice-captain, will lead India. However, official confirmation is still pending.
