“Age has put a full stop to Jaydev Unadkat’s India career,” BCCI selector

“Age has put a full stop to Jaydev Unadkat’s India career,” BCCI selector

Jaydev Unadkat

The 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season was a tremendous for Saurashtra quick Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat finished as the highest wicket taker in the tournament as he bagged a whopping 67 wickets in just 10 matches at a stunning average of 13.23 and strike rate of 28.2. He scalped 7 five-wicket hauls in an innings and 3 ten-wicket hauls in a match in the one of the finest red ball competitions around the globe.

Despite being in the peak of his domestic career, Unadkat has been snubbed from not one but two Test tours following the brilliant season. If the wickets were not enough, he led his side to its maiden Ranji Trophy title as his wicket taking ability was the stand out of the season. Let alone the senior team, Unadkat has been left out from the India A side despite pilling up wickets in the domestic circuit.

Unadkat was also in fine form with the ball in the 2018-19 edition picking 39 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 17.17. He played a pivotal role in taking Saurashtra to the final where they were beaten by Vidarbha. The experienced quick boasts of 327 wickets in 89 matches at an average of 23.21 and strike rate of 47.2 in his first class career.

“Age is spoiling Jaydev Unadkat’s case,” BCCI selector

Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Unadkat

After being snubbed for two consecutive tours, Jaydev Unadkat expressed his concern over the matter. Following his comments, Saurashtra’s former coach Karsan Ghavri has revealed that a BCCI selector shared the reason behind Unadkat’s omission. Surprisingly, the left arm quick who is only 29 years old is not being considered for national selection due to being “over-aged”.

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“I asked a selector during the Ranji Trophy final (2019-20) that if a bowler takes more than 60 wickets and has taken his team into the final of the Ranji Trophy single-handedly, shouldn’t he be at least picked for India A. That selector told me: ‘Kadu bhai, he won’t be picked for India anymore. His name is not even considered by us when we think of 30-odd players.’ ‘Why not, I asked him.’ ‘Then what’s the point of him picking so many wickets? I was told that ‘he’s already 32-33. Age is spoiling his case. It has put a full stop to his India career,” Ghavri told TOI.

“Why should we invest in an older player? We would rather pick a 21, 22 or a 23-year-old player if he’s good, he can serve India for 8-10-12 years. If we pick Unadkat today, how many years will he serve India for?’ This is what that selector told me,” Ghavri added.

It is interesting to note that three of the four fast bowlers who would be in action for India in England, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, are well ahead of him when it comes to age. Unadkat was not even considered for the stand by squad while he could have added great variety to India’s world class bowling attack.

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