Saurashtra’s captain Jaydev Unadkat had a stellar run in the 2019-20 domestic season as he scalped 67 wickets in 10 matches of Ranji Trophy at an unbelievable average of 13.23. Unadkat scalped seven five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls in a match. Furthermore, he led Saurashtra to glory in the Ranji Trophy as he led from the front.
However, there was no place for Unadkat for the tour of England when the national team was recently announced. The medium-pacer revealed his disappointment and stated that he was expecting a national call-up after an impressive run in the domestic circuit.
Unadkat did almost everything right to earn his place in the team and ticked all the right boxes to be a front runner for selection but there was no place for him in India’s jumbo squad.
Meanwhile, Saurashtra’s former coach Karsan Ghavri has revealed that a BCCI selector told him that Unadkat is not even considered for national selection because of his age. In fact, Unadkat is currently 29 years old and it is surprising to note that the selectors are not even considering his name despite his amazing performances.
“I asked a selector during the Ranji Trophy final (2019-20) that if a bowler takes more than 60 wickets and has taken his team into the final of the Ranji Trophy single-handedly, shouldn’t he be at least picked for India A. That selector told me: ‘Kadu bhai, he won’t be picked for India anymore. His name is not even considered by us when we think of 30-odd players.’ ‘Why not, I asked him.’ ‘Then what’s the point of him picking so many wickets? I was told that ‘he’s already 32-33. Age is spoiling his case. It has put a full stop to his India career,” Ghavri told TOI.
“Why should we invest in an older player? We would rather pick a 21, 22 or a 23-year-old player if he’s good, he can serve India for 8-10-12 years. If we pick Unadkat today, how many years will he serve India for?’ This is what that selector told me,” Ghavri added.