Five Unlucky Indian Domestic Cricketers Currently

Playing international cricket is probably the highest honour any aspiring Indian cricketer could achieve. The journey to receiving their maiden cap begins by featuring in first-class cricket or several domestic matches. Only by scoring a truckload of runs consistently or bowling tirelessly and taking wickets can help a player achieve his goal of representing their nation at the highest level or get closer to it.

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Playing first-class cricket for their state is relatively easy. There is comparatively less pressure on them to perform, and hence the athletes do end up good. However, there exist certain cricketers, who do not get opportunities at the highest level despite years of grinding down at the domestic circuit. Thus, it can be hugely frustrating for any player not to earn rewards for their hard work.

We take a look at five unlucky Indian domestic cricketers currently:

Shreyas Gopal:

Karnataka leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal might have grown hugely; however, his domestic performances have been decent. Shreyas Gopal was not amongst the wickets in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; however, he had credible numbers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year.

The 27-year old took 13 wickets in seven matches at 27.38, with an economy rate of 5.71. Gopal has been unlucky since he has not played for the Rajasthan Royals either in IPL 2021 to finetune his game to take it to the next level. As a considerably experienced player in the domestic circuit with good numbers, he has been unlucky not to receive a call-up to the national team.

Siddharth Kaul:

Siddharth Kaul has played a handful of games at the highest level without much success. However, Siddharth Kaul expressed his desire to represent India again and even help the nation win the 2023 World Cup at home. But despite his encouraging recent performances, the selectors have overlooked the right-arm seamer.

Siddharth Kaul picked up 14 wickets in six matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year at 11.07 with two four-wicket hauls. The 31-year old was also amongst the wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 14 in five fixtures at 18.57 with a couple of four wicket hauls. Hence, the selectors could have opted for Kaul to tour Sri Lanka instead of someone like Navdeep Saini.

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Jalaj Saxena:

Spin-bowling all-rounder Jalaj Saxena is one of the two members on this list uncapped in the international arena. Jalaj Saxena has been one of the best performing players in the domestic circuit, making telling contributions across facets consistently. But the 34-year old does not find a place even in the provisional Indian squad.

Saxena has mustered over 6000 first-class runs, with 14 centuries and has more than 300 scalps in the format. The spin-bowling all-rounder also has three List A tons, along with 116 wickets in 99 fixtures. The Indore-born cricketer is also a handy player in the shortest format.

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Jaydev Unadkat:

Left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who played one Test back in 2010, recently expressed his disappointment after the selectors ignored him for the upcoming Test tour of England. The 20-man squad that is slated to play five Tests against England has six frontline pacers, along with three in reserves. But Jaydev Unadkat could not find a spot in either of the sections.

The Saurashtra seamer was the captain when the state won the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy and ended up as the leading wicket-taker. Unadkat picked up 67 scalps in ten games at 13.23, with seven fifers and three ten wicket-hauls. Overall, the 29-year old has 327 first-class wickets in 89 matches at 23.21. Thus, Unadkat at least deserved a spot as a reserved player.

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Sheldon Jackson:

Sheldon Jackson has perhaps been the most unfortunate cricketer not to get an international cap despite scoring a truckload of runs in the domestic circuit. Sheldon Jackson hammered 242 runs in five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year at 80.66, striking at 155.12. The 34-year old smashed an unbeaten hundred and a fifty.

Furthermore, Jackson also mustered a whopping 809 runs in ten games in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy and he has made more than 750 runs in a single edition more than four times. Following Sri Lanka’s squad announcement, the right-handed batsman expressed his disappointment on Twitter at not being selected.

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