3 reasons why India should play Jaydev Unadkat in the WTC final against Australia

Jaydev Unadkat has been one of the top performers in Indian domestic cricket over the last few years. The left-arm fast bowler made his Test debut for India back in 2010, but never got another chance in the red-ball arena at the international level until 2022.

Unadkat toiled in domestic cricket for a decade, helping Saurashtra win multiple Ranji Trophy championships. The left-arm pacer improved his bowling by playing at different venues across the country. The BCCI selection committee rewarded him for his hard work by naming him in the squad for the World Test Championship series against Bangladesh last year.

While Jaydev Unadkat did not make it to the Indian playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh, he got a chance to play in the second match, where he ended up taking his maiden Test wicket, 12 years after his debut. Unadkat took a total of three wickets in that game.

India then played a home series against Australia, where captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid preferred Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav in the pace unit over Unadkat.

Although Shami, Siraj and Yadav performed well, here are three reasons why India should pick Unadkat in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia later this year.

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#1 Jaydev Unadkat brings variety to the Indian pace attack

Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are all right-arm fast bowlers. It would be better if the Indian team has variety in their pace attack for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.

The WTC final 2023 will be held at The Oval. India will likely go in with three pace-bowling options in that match. With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable for selection, picking two right-arm pacers along with left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat would help the Indian team trouble the Aussies.

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#2 Unadkat has achieved success in England in the past

While Unadkat has never played a Test match on English soil, he represented India 'A' on a tour of England in 2010. During that tour, he played a couple of first-class matches against West Indies 'A' and ended up as the highest wicket-taker for India 'A'.

Unadkat achieved enormous success in English conditions, scalping 16 wickets in just two matches. He dismissed current West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite thrice in those two games, while his other scalps included some international stars like Chadwick Walton, Kirk Edwards, Devon Smith, and Andre Fletcher.

Considering Unadkat's past success in English conditions, the Indian team management should think of giving him a chance in the WTC final.

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#3 Jaydev Unadkat's batting numbers in domestic cricket

India played with three spin-bowling all-rounders, namely Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the recently concluded series against Australia. The three all-rounders contributed some important runs with the bat to help India win the series.

It is highly unlikely that India will field all three spinners in the playing XI for the WTC final against Australia. They will need some depth in their batting lineup, which might give Jaydev Unadkat a chance. For the record, Unadkat has scored 1,848 runs in first-class cricket, registering eight half-centuries.