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Senior fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat is going through a dream phase in his career. He won the Ranji Trophy 2023-23 title as Saurashtra captain and was welcomed back into India’s Test squad for the third and fourth Test match against Australia. He is also part of the 18-member three-match ODI squad against Australia.
Unadkat made a good comeback to the Indian Test side after toiling away for nearly 12 years in the domestic circuit. He was good against Bangladesh and was part of the initial squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
However, he was released to play in the Ranji Trophy final against Bengal and now, after clinching the title, he is back in the Indian squad for both the red-ball and white-ball leg of the tour.
Here, we take a look at three reasons why Jaydev Unadkat is a good inclusion for India in the ODI series.
#3 Experience of playing in the IPL
Jaydev Unadkat might not be one of the greats in the IPL, but he has been a consistent presence in the league. He has played against many Australian players and understands the variations and skillsets that come along with white-ball cricket.
His IPL experience could well come in handy in the ODI series and he could be a real asset to the side. The left-arm pacer generally gets the ball to swing in the first powerplay. Rohit Sharma can also use him in the middle overs with all his variations and ability to control the scoring rate.
#2 Left-arm angle
The Indian team seems to have almost all bases covered when they play at home. However, with Arshdeep Singh missing out, Jaydev Unadkat could be the left-arm option the team banks on.
This is a World Cup year, and the Men in Blue need to figure out their best-possible XI. Unadkat, with his experience, left-arm angle and ability to understand the different facets of the game, could be a good inclusion in this side.
Unadkat understands Indian conditions and has a lot of experience under his belt. With the 2023 Cricket World Cup scheduled to be played this year, if this move works out perfectly for the Indian team, it will be another huge box ticked out.
#1 Can provide balance with the bat
For all his skills with the ball, Unadkat is no slouch with the bat. He has bailed out Saurashtra from a precarious position on more than one occasion and his presence in the lower order will offer a lot of solace to India’s batting.
He averages 18 with the bat in first-class cricket and almost 11 in List A format. As far as T20s are concerned, Unadkat averages 16 with a strike rate of around 130. These are decent numbers, especially for a player who could wander out to bat at No. 9.
Do you think Team India did the right thing by adding Jaydev Unadkat to the ODI side? Let us know in the comment section.
