Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat (Credits: Twitter)

Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat has said that he has his eyes set on returning to India’s Test team. The left-arm pacer has fallen down the pecking order in the national team but continues to impress in domestic circuit. Last month, he led Saurashtra to the Ranji Trophy title and finished the season as the leading wicket-taker.

He is now hopeful that the display in country’s premier first-class competition would help him earn a recall from the Test side. The left-arm pacer had burst onto the scene way back in 2010 after showing promising signs in the U19 World Cup but could not leave a mark on his Test debut against South Africa, conceding over 100 runs at an economy of almost 4 and failed to take even a single wicket.

He has not played a Test since then. Three years later, in 2013 he made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on the back of some impressive performance in IPL and domestic cricket, but he soon disappeared from the scene due to inconsistent performances and injuries.

Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat. (Credits: IPL)

A stress fracture which he sustained in 2014 forced him to spend a considerable time off the field and as a result, he managed to play just one Ranji Trophy game in the 2014-15 season, four in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and made one appearance for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2015.

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However, he hit the ground running after recovering from the injury and has not looked back since then. He made a stunning comeback in the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season, taking as many as 40 wickets that included four five-wicket hauls to help Saurashtra make it to the final.

He impressed in the IPL too in 2017 and earned a recall from the T20I side but was soon dropped. He has not played for India since March 2018 and with the team now boasting of a number of world-class pacers, Unadkat faces a upheaval task in earning a recall. And while the pacer is well aware of the competition in the team, he is determined to play Test again.

“I have been thoroughly enjoying bowling with the red ball. I have not got a chance after my first Test so that has always been at the back of my mind — I want to make a place in the Test team. Though the competition is strong, it’s the strongest ever I can say that,” said Unadkat in a video interview with his Rajasthan Royals teammate and New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi on the IPL franchise’s account.

Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat (Source: Twitter)

However, he also said that he would like to excel in other formats as well. The 28-year-old now feels he is at his peak and wants to extend this phase as much as possible.

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“The shorter formats have been my strength of late so, no specific format (in international cricket). (I would like to) maybe become as versatile as I can and make a place in all formats,” said Jaydev Unadkat.

“The goal now is to get my place (in the Indian team) back, to be there for a long time and make as strong an impact as I can. For that it would require a lot of hard work. It’s not like I have taken these many wickets and I will be sorted when I am there. I will have to keep evolving as a player and that’s the goal,” he added.

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