It is understood that the fast bowler initiated the request for release with the Indian team management
Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat will captain Saurashtra in the upcoming Ranji Trophy final against Bengal, starting on February 16th in Kolkata, after being released from the Indian cricket team’s squad for the second Test against Australia, starting on February 17th. According to reports, Unadkat was eager to play in the final and requested to be released from the national team, which was approved by the selectors.
Saurashtra secured their place in the final by defeating Karnataka by four wickets in the semi-final match held in Bengaluru. On the other hand, Bengal won the other semi-final against Madhya Pradesh with a 306-run victory.
Unadkat’s presence on the field is a significant boost for Saurashtra, as they aim to win their second title, following their first championship win in the 2019-20 season. Despite playing only three matches in this year’s Ranji Trophy, Unadkat led the team in all three fixtures and took 17 wickets, averaging 13.64.
His best performance was in the group match against Delhi, where he took a hat-trick in the first over of the game and achieved career-best figures of 8 for 39. He also scored 70 runs in that match. However, Unadkat did not play in any of the knockout matches for Saurashtra, which was led by Arpit Vasavada in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Unadkat recently made his Test comeback in Bangladesh in December 2022 after a 12-year gap and has been a part of India’s Test squad for the first two Tests in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Although he did not play in the first Test, India won by innings and 132 runs in just three days. The second Test is set to take place in Delhi between February 17th and 21st and India is expected to field an unchanged bowling attack consisting of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
