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Jaydev Unadkat feels that age is still on his side, hoping to make cut for Sri Lanka tour

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A stalwart in the Indian domestic circuit, Jaydev Unadkat has expressed his disappointment after not receiving a call-up for the England tour despite being one of the most successful bowlers in first-class cricket. 

Unadkat had a dream run with the ball in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy but a national call-up is still eluding him. Unadkat who picked up 67 wickets in the previous Ranji Trophy said that despite being disappointed he isn't frustrated. 

Unadkat who made his Test debut for India against South Africa back in 2010 is yet to don the India whites again. The left-arm pacer has played one Test, seven ODIs and 10 T20Is but has been out of the national team since 2018. 

With the emergence of several pacers in the Australia tour including the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Natarajan, Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini, Unadkat doesnt find himself in the scheme of things despite consistent performances. 

"I felt (exclusion from) Australia tour was fine because everyone was fit in the main squad. But later on, (looking at) those who got chances due to injuries, I felt I deserved one," Unadkat was quoted as saying by The Hindu. 

"I was hoping to make it to the England tour. As simple as that. I have said in the past that the guys who are at the top are doing well, so I have to wait for my chance. This time around, I have been honestly disappointed. I’ll still take the disappointment positively to motivate myself to do better,” he further added. 

India will play as many as 6 Tests during the tour of England. They will start the tour with WTC final followed by 5 Tests against England starting from August. Barring Bumrah, Shami and Ishant the likes of Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj are also part of the squad. Besides the ones in the squad, India have also added Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Arzan Nagwaswalla as the standby pacers. 

The left-arm pacer has played 89 first-class matches so far and has been around the circuit for a long time. Having made his international debut as a teenager, Unadkat still likes to believe that he hasn’t reached the stage of frustration and hopes of playing for the national team in the future. 

"I haven’t reached that level of frustration for sure. As I look at it, it’s not now or never for me. When I say I am at my peak, it’s still four or five years more to remain at my peak. I am 29 and because I made my debut early (in 2010), people consider me ‘old’. I was a teenager when I made my Test debut a decade ago, so I still have a lot of time. I am not that frustrated for sure."

With India likely to send a second-string side for the tour of Sri Lanka in July, Unadkat is hopeful of making the cut and get some game time. 

"To be honest, I don’t know what’s next. Had the SPL (Saurashtra Premier League) gone ahead, there was some cricket to be played. Let’s see, the Sri Lanka tour is coming. If that (call-up) comes, it’ll be nice,” Unadkat concluded. 

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