Despite taking as many as 67 wickets in the previous Ranji Trophy season, Jaydev Unadkat was not selected either for the Australia tour last year or the upcoming England tour this year.

And according to Karsan Ghavri, a former India fast bowler, that is because the national selectors already consider the Saurashtra pacer to be too old. Unadkat, 29, had recently said that he was disappointed at being ignored for an India berth after doing so well in domestic cricket. 

Ghavri was Saurashtra coach when Unadkat led them to the title with an outstanding display throughout the 2019-20 Ranji season and he has now revealed a conversation with a selector during the Ranji final against Bengal in Rajkot.

“I asked a selector during the Ranji Trophy final 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?�?Ghavri told The Times of India.

“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 (up) 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.�?/span>

Ghavri further claimed that the selector told him India would rather invest in a younger player than go back to Unadkat. “’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 said.

Unadkat has not played for India since March 2018, but with a second-string national squad set to travel to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in July, Ghavri hoped the Saurashtra pacer would go on that tour. “I wish he gets picked for the Sri Lanka tour at least, but it is very difficult for him to break the ice and get into the Indian team because the selectorial policy is something else,�?he said.

Unadkat made his debut for India as a teenager in 2010 and has played one Test, seven ODIs and 10 T20Is.

Featured image : AFP / Indranil Mukherjee

The iconic Sharjah will play host to the 4th match of the 2020 Indian T20 League season between Rajasthan and the Chennai. Rajasthan will be playing their first match of the new campaign while Chennai are coming off a huge win over defending champions Mumbai.

The two teams are on the opposite ends of the experience spectrum. While Chennai have the oldest starting XI in the league, Rajasthan have one of the youngest. The three-time champions are filled with experience to the brim while only a couple, or at best three players out of the seven of Rajasthan’s Indian contingent can claim to have played an international T20.

But with youth comes courage. Rajasthan’s batting core of Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson will be up for the challenge and will want to take the game to Chennai’s seasoned veterans.

Watson’s wonderful record in the desert

Shane Watson loves playing at the Sharjah.

The 39-year-old has batted 19 times at the iconic ground and has scored 586 runs at an average of 32.55. Here are Watson’s favourite hunting grounds.

Stadium	Innings	Runs	Average
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur	33	969	37.26
Dubai Sports City Stadium, Dubai	21	608	33.77
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah	19	586	32.55

Watson has played only once at Sharjah in the Indian T20 League back when he was with the Rajasthan in 2014. The Australian scored 50 off 28 balls against Punjab and the veteran will be hoping for a repeat performance on Tuesday.

Unadkat’s underwhelming record

Rajasthan broke the bank to sign Jaydev Unadkat but the pacer has so far been extremely underwhelming for the side.

Unadkat has played 26 matches in the last two campaigns and picked up just 21 wickets. He also has a terrible economy rate of 10.08, the worst of any bowler with over 500 balls bowled and has also given away 884 runs in the past two seasons, the most by any bowler in that span.

At the death, Unadkat’s performances dip further, bowling at an economy of 11.82, also the worst among all bowlers with at least 180 balls during the final overs.

While he’s never been an economical bowler, Unadkat had a knack of picking plenty of wickets but with those dried up, the 28-year-old is nothing more than a liability at this point for Rajasthan.  

Players to watch

Rajasthan �?Steve Smith

Australian skipper has a decent record in the Indian T20 League but the team would be expecting more from the stellar batsman than he has delivered so far. In his maiden campaign with the Rajasthan, Smith scored 319 runs in 12 matches at a modest strike rate of 116 and a good average of 39.87. With Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler sidelined, Smith will not only have to lead his side in the field but also lead them by example with the bat if Rajasthan have any hopes of causing an upset against Chennai.

Chennai -Ambati Rayudu

Chennai were in a huge spot of bother against Mumbai at 6/2 and with Suresh Raina missing, the team needed another one of it’s experienced stars to anchor the innings for the side. Up-stepped veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu smashing 71 off 48 balls to guide his side to a victory. Rayudu will have a huge role this season in the absence of Raina and if the first match is anything to go by, the 34-year-old is more than up for the task.

Stats to watch out for:

3: Rajasthan's Ankit Rajpoot and Chennai's Deepak Chahar are both just three wickets away from reaching 100 scalps in T20s.

5: Chennai all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has dismissed Steve Smith five times in the Indian T20 League. No other bowler has dismissed the Australian more times.

5: MS Dhoni needs just five more sixes to complete 300 in T20s. Among Indian batsmen, only Rohit Sharma (361) and Suresh Raina (311) have managed more than the former Indian skipper.

1000: Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu are both closing in on 1000 runs for Chennai. The Australian needs 43 while Rayudu needs 45 to reach the mark.

Writer’s pick:

Rajasthan will be without Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, two of the four in their famed foreign quartet. Chennai are at full-strength and are coming off an impressive win over Mumbai. It’s hard to see how the Royals can thwart Chennai’s batsmen or their bowlers and hence, expect CHE add another to the wins column.

Think you know more? We have a fantasy game lined up for you.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Arun Sankar

To stay on top of their game, cricketers have to maintain consistency in their performances while keeping fit and fulfilling the other obligations that come with being in the spotlight.

However, for many players who satisfy all these criteria, their star fades when pushed past the orbit of domestic matches and into the thick of international space.

We look at five such players who were certainly loaded with the right amount of talent and tenacity to make it big, but after strong performances in the domestic circuit as well as prestigious T20 tournaments, a dearth of form at the international level all but put paid to their future prospects.

Manish Pandey

Having the special distinction of being the first Indian batsman to score a century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) did a world of good for Manish Pandey, as he went on to win two IPL titles with Kolkata Knight Riders during his never-ending love affair with the side.

Pandey was also a part of the Under-19 side which won the 2008 World Cup in Malaysia and has been a mainstay for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad during his IPL career. Apart from this, he represents the Karnataka team in the domestic circuit. However, his showings on the international front have left something to be desired.

Having made his One-Day International (ODI) debut in 2015, Pandey has played just 26 ODIs, scoring 492 runs. The middle-order batsman has time and again been unable to replicate his IPL performances for the national team, and at 30, he is yet to make his Test debut as well. An explosive batsman, he has been playing regularly in recent times and will look to impress selectors before the T20 World Cup squads are announced. 

D’Arcy Short

Australian opener D’Arcy Short had the chance to be one of Australia’s most explosive batsmen during the suspension of David Warner due to the ‘Sandpapergate�?scandal. Representing Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL), Short is among the highest run-getters in the T20 tournament. In the nine games he has played, he has scored 357 runs at a strike rate of 131.25.

Read | Top five one season wonders of the IPL

With his highest List-A score reading 257, it is a surprise that Short has been unable to replicate his game on the international level. He has played 20 T20Is and eight ODIs, failing to hit a century in any of the formats. Whilst his T20 stats are better, he averages a meagre 30 in the 50-over format.

Short was recently part of the ODI team for the series against New Zealand, but unless the southpaw improves his performances, he might not feature for the Aussies as often as he would like. At 29, and with a lot of competition, he might be nearing the end of his international career.

Jaydev Unadkat

For someone who made his ODI debut in 2013, Jaydev Unadkat has only contested seven matches since then -- an appalling statistic, given the talent Unadkat seemingly possesses. His Test debut came earlier than that, in 2010 against South Africa in Centurion, conceding 101 runs at an average of 3.88 without picking up a single wicket.

These numbers are quite surprising considering the level of performances Unadkat displayed in the domestic sphere of the game. Then 18, his left-arm seam bowling seemed favourable for the Indian team but his subpar performances have ensured he doesn’t make another Test appearance for his side.

His game in the shorter format has been marginally better, having picked up only eight and 14 wickets respectively in the seven ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals he has played in. Unadkat last featured for India in March 2018 in the Nidahas Trophy.

He has shone in the IPL on occasion, having played for a plethora of clubs over the last 10 years. His best season was the 2017 edition, where he led Rising Pune Supergiants to the finals, making him the costliest buy in the next IPL auction.

However, he hasn’t been able to reach the same heights since, but the captaincy of his domestic side, and his consistency, might make a case for the 28-year-old left arm seamer.

Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman could have been one of Pakistan’s most prolific batsmen but his hard-hitting and ability to score quick runs failed to do him a world of good after a dismal outing at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in England last year.

Read | Four most underrated IPL openers

Zaman’s shot to fame was the famous century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy, before becoming the first Pakistani player to score an ODI double century. However, in his 46 ODIs, the southpaw has only managed 1958 runs, with four of them being centuries.

After the World Cup, he was dropped for more capable candidates. He played against Sri Lanka in their last ODI series before the global pandemic and managed 50+ scores in both the games, helping his side to a win. With Pakistan touring England in their first series after the pandemic, Zaman will be keen on making an impression or risk his career fading out.

Aiden Markram

Aiden Markram was earmarked as the next big thing in international cricket after captaining South Africa to the Under-19 trophy in 2014, the country’s only ICC trophy in the current century. Markram had an average of over 50 in First-class and List-A competitions, leading to call-ups to the national team in 2017. However, things haven’t been the same for the young opener.

During the India tour of South Africa, Markram showed glimpses of his true form after playing exceptionally well for the Proteas. He even won praise from Indian skipper Virat Kohli and was named the captain of the ODI series in the absence of Faf du Plessis. But like many fading talents, Markram couldn’t make the most of the opportunities.

He is yet to feature in an ODI for the Proteas since the World Cup while playing only two T20Is in his career. In his 26 ODIs, he averages a measly 27.95, and in his 20 Tests, he has an average of 28. 48. He last featured for the Proteas against England before an injury sidelined him. However, at 25, he is considerably younger than the other members of this list, making a comeback easier.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SportsAdda.

 

"I am someone who loves taking on leadership roles. I've loved it since I was quite young. I am fortunate that I'm playing for a team like Saurashtra. It's not a team with lots of 'big' players, it's a well-knit unit, and it's always good to captain a side like that."

Jaydev Unadkat recently revealed in an interview. His words couldn't have held truer after he produced a sensational spell against Gujarat in the semi-finals to bowl Saurashtra to the finals of the 2020 Ranji Trophy. The left-arm pacer has had an outrageous Ranji season where he has led the side exceptionally well and produced wickets to lead by example.

In the semi-finals of the season, Unadkat was in top form. He dismissed big guns like Priyank Panchal, Dhruv Raval and top-scorer Rujul Bhatt in the first innings of the match. With a less than convincing total to defend in the final innings, Unadkat was at it again, producing a seven-wicket haul as he single-handedly led the team to the finals. 

Saurashtra had their backs against the wall after Parthiv Patel and Chirag Gandhi put on 158 for the sixth wicket. Unadkat, who had led the early top-order demolition, returned to prize out Parthiv and dismissed Axar Patel next ball and Chirag Gandhi soon after to seal the match for Saurashtra.

This was Unadkat's seventh five-wicket haul in the season in 15 innings, a rate of one nearly every second innings or one every game.

Unadkat in RanjiTrophy 2019-20:

• 12.3-5-31-3
• 15.3-1-51-6
• 20-3-56-4
• 14-7-23-6
• 24-4-77-2
• 15-0-49-5
• 18-5-53-1
• 24.4-5-45-4
• 17-6-43-2
• 13-4-34-6
• 17-2-72-6
• 22.4-4-73-6
• 18.2-9-42-4
• 24-3-86-3
• 22.2-11-56-7

The Saurashtra skipper has picked up 65 wickets from his 15 innings, the most in the season so far by 10 wickets. His seven five-fers is also the most in the season by any bowler.

Most wickets by a pacer in a Ranji Trophy season:-

63* - JAYDEV UNADKAT for Saurashtra in 2019-20
62 - Dodda Ganesh for Karnataka in 1998-99
57 - Ranadeb Bose for Bengal in 2006-07
52 - Harshal Patel for Haryana in 2019-20
51 - Ishwar Chaudhary for Sikkim in 2018-19#SAUvGUJ

�?Kausthub (@kaustats) March 4, 2020

What makes Unadkat's feat stands out is where he has picked his wickets. Since the 2013-14 Ranji season, Unadkat has the second-best average and the best strike rate in the Indian domestic scene. Most of this has come at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot where fast bowlers have the worst record in this period on any ground in India.

Key to this has been reverse swing in Rajkot and conventional swing and angles on helpful wickets. Unadkat has a good blend of all these skills.

"I got a couple of fifers in Rajkot on flat wickets where I really bowled my heart out. The only plan there was to reverse the ball. If you're playing in Rajkot, it's bound to reverse, and if you have the skills it can reverse in 15-20 overs," he said in the same interview.

A lot of focus has gone into Unadkat's dip in form in the limited-overs formats - in the Indian Premier League and for team India in the past three years. But the left-armer has been thriving in red ball cricket with a unique skill set, one which India might be eyeing given that he adds a different dimension as well to the attack with his left-arm angle. His leadership qualities will also add to the present Test bowling attack. An ability to snuff out wickets when the going gets tough is a great character to have and Unadkat oozes that in plenty.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / Sportsgriduk

The cricketing community gears up for yet another season of the Indian T20 League as the tournament’s first piece of action comes this week with the auctions on December 19.

A final list of 332 players was released to the teams a few days back and the list contained a few names who have had their share of split loyalties. With an auction happening every year, it is no surprise that players have represented multiple teams.

Read | Indian T20 League auctions: When and where to watch

However, some of them have taken it to the next level, with the most number of teams anyone has played for being seven- a distinction that belongs to Australia limited-overs skipper, Aaron Finch.

Most teams represent by a player from IPL 2020 auction list

7 - Aaron Finch (RR, DD, PWI, SRH, MI, GL, KXIP)
6 - Thisara Perara (CSK, KTK, MI, SRH, KXIP, RPS)
5 - Jaydev Unadkat (KKR, RCB, DD, RPS, RR)
5 - Moises Henriques (KKR, DD, SRH, RCB, KXIP)#IPLAuction #IPLAuction2020

�?Abhishek Kumar (@abhik2593) December 14, 2019

Let us have a look at their performances in the Indian T20 League over the years:

Aaron Finch

Finch may be one of the most destructive openers in world cricket at the moment but for some reason has never really clicked in the Indian T20 League. His first brush with it came in 2010 with Rajasthan but he played just one game and scored 21.

He then moved to Delhi in 2011 and played for two seasons, scoring just 102 runs combined. Finch then played for a spate of teams for one year each- Pune, Hyderabad, and Mumbai with his most productive season being 2013 when he ended up with 456 runs.

Gujarat and Punjab also made it to his resume later, but he could be a big buy at the auctions this week, considering he led Australia to the World Cup semi-final and has generally been in good form since.

Thisara Perera

The Sri Lankan has played in the Indian T20 League for just six seasons but has represented five teams in that period. The only time he stayed with a side for more than a year was with Punjab, playing for them in 2014 and 2015.

His lower-order hitting and useful bowling should make him a great pick for T20s but he has not set the stage alight at any of his stints. His most productive time was in 2013 when he scored 233 runs and took 19 wickets while playing for Hyderabad but even that did not convince them to retain him for the next season.

Expect him to remain unsold again come Thursday.

Read | Mitchell Starc, Joe Root pull out of Indian T20 League auctions

Jaydev Unadkat

If you are looking for an answer to, “What could someone have achieved if they remained consistent?�? Jaydev Unadkat would be the perfect candidate to fit the prototype.

A great red-ball bowler, Unadkat has not enjoyed the same luck or produced the performances in the white-ball format. First bought by Kolkata in 2010 after an impressive U-19 campaign, he could not replicate that form and it prompted the team to cut their losses in 2012.

He moved to Bangalore, then Delhi, came back to Kolkata and finally shone at the new Pune team in 2017. He picked 24 wickets that season, including a fifer and Rajasthan thought they got themselves a trustworthy bowler when they shelled out big bucks for him in 2018.

However, Unadkat went back to his error-prone ways and though the Jaipur-based team put their faith in him in 2019, they did not want to take the risk again for 2020.

Moises Henriques

An all-rounder from Australia who can hit it a long way and give you four economical overs- what more could you ask for in a T20 team? Ask Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Punjab.

Henriques never quite fired for any of the teams, but his on and off performances for his national side made teams open their purses. However, his last appearance in the Indian T20 League came in 2017 and so, he may not attract too many bids this time around.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain