The red ball gave Jaydev Unadkat another chance when he was recalled to the Test squad after a huge gap of 12 years. Saurashtra skipper Unadkat was rewarded for his performances in the domestic circuit and got a chance to roll his arm in international arena against Bangladesh in Mirpur last month. The left-arm pacer justified his performance and retained his place in the 17-member Test squad for Border-Gavaskar trophy. Ahead of the four-Test series, Unadkat revealed head coach Rahul Dravid’s 30-second pep talk before taking the field.
"Everyone congratulated me, saying that it was well deserved. And even though it was repetitive I still felt a little sense of pride every time I heard that, that you deserve this call-up. On the day when the Test was starting, Rahul bhai told me in the morning: 'JD, you are a part of the XI. And this is probably one of the most well-deserved call-ups that you have got. Be very, very proud of it and enjoy your time out there in the middle.' It was just a 30-second talk," the 31-year-old was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
In his comeback Test where he was picked over the hero of previous game, Kuldeep Yadav on a wicket that turned square from Day 1, the pacer got two crucial wickets in the first innings including veteran Bangladesh batter Mushfiqur Rahim. In the second innings, he kept a lid on runs and picked up the wicket of skipper Shakib Al Hasan.
Unadkat also recalled when Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chairman of selectors told him the news.
“Chetan [Sharma] bhai called me and said, you don't have to go to the Ranji Trophy game, you will have to join Test squad. It was a simple call where he just told me that I'd have to pack my bags for Dhaka," the 31-year-old recalled.
After returning from Bangladesh, Unadkat took 8/39 against Delhi to start off 2023. He followed it up with two three-fers in each innings against Hyderabad. He took three wickets in the clash against Andhra Pradesh as well.
The first Test is to be played in Nagpur, which is known for assisting spinners. It will be interesting to see if Unadkat gets a chance in the first two Tests.
