BAN vs IND: Jaydev Unadkat ruled out of 1st Test due to logistical issues

Days after getting his first call-up to the Indian Test side in 12 years, Jaydev Unadkat has been ruled out of the opening India-Bangladesh Test starting on Wednesday (14th December) at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

As per reports in Cricbuzz, the left-arm pacer is still stuck in his hometown due to logistical issues.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Unadkat is yet to receive his visa papers and the logistical department is working out every way possible to send him to Bangladesh at the earliest. However, as of Tuesday, Unadkat is believed to still be in his hometown.

Jaydev Unadkat is a special case here as he was included in the squad at the last minute and his selection came out of the blue as far as the logistical department is concerned.

Usually, the BCCI organizes visas for all the players who are in contention to make the squad so that logistical issues are avoided.

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What will be India's team combination in Jaydev Unadkat's absence?

Unadkat’s only Test appearance came way back in December 2010 against South Africa. With several youngsters rising through the ranks, Unadkat might not have been on the radar of the BCCI logistical unit.

The selection committee had faith in him and rewarded him for his consistency in the domestic circuit.

The depleted Indian Test side is already without the services of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and premier speedsters Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

With so many frontline bowlers missing from the line-up, the team management could have gone with the experience of Jaydev Unadkat.

The left-arm pacer’s absence could potentially open up the doors for Navdeep Saini but it remains to be seen whether India decides to go for an extra spinner.

It could well be a toss-up between Saini and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar who came in as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja.

Kuldeep Yadav is also a part of the squad but has often warmed the benches in the longest format for quite some time now.

India's squad for 1st Test: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar