India’s veteran left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat did not find himself in any of the four Duleep Trophy 2024 squads picked by the senior men’s selection committee. The Saurashtra captain who made his comeback to Test cricket in 2022 headed to England for another stint with Sussex where he will be reunited with Cheteshwar Pujara. He will look to perform for Sussex in order to catch the attention of selectors ahead of squad announcement for home series against Bangladesh.
"I'm really happy to be back here. Hove is my second home. The team's been doing fantastic this season and, hopefully, in the second leg of the season, we're going to pull it through and get back in division one, where we belong! Cheers," Unadkat said in a video posted by Sussex.
In his first season, he played four matches and claimed 11 wickets helping Sussex finish in third place in Division Two.
Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace is happy to get the experienced pacer’s services for the last leg.
"We are all delighted that Jaydev is returning to the 1st Central County Ground for the final five championship matches of the coming season. Jaydev lived up to the expectation that not only would he show his class on the field, but he would also be a fantastic person and be part of what we are all trying to achieve. Jaydev is a lovely guy who did everything he could to help our players and share his fantastic knowledge," Farbrace said.
Jaydev looking for another comeback
The 32-year-old made an underwhelming comeback to Test cricket after 12 years in 2022. He played the Dhaka Test against Bangladesh which was his first Test match since his debut in 2010 against South Africa. He bagged three wickets in Test.
He last played a Test for India on India’s tour of West Indies in 2023. He remained wicketless in the Test. As a result, he was dropped from the Test squad for home series against England.
Selectors looking for another left-arm pacer
Meanwhile, Khaleel Ahmed, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Dayal have been picked in Duleep Trophy squads indicating that selectors have moved on from Unadkat.
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