During the first day of the second Test match of India’s tour of Bangladesh 2022 in Mirpur, India pacer Jaydev Unadkat picked a maiden wicket in the format 12 years after making his debut.
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A late addition to India’s squad for this tour, Unadkat got an opportunity to add to his solitary Test cap as the visitors green signaled a bold decision to bench spinner Kuldeep Yadav in spite of him winning the Player of the Match award in the first match in order to play a third fast bowler on a pitch which comprised of a tad bit extra amount of grass.
It was in the eighth over of the day when India captain KL Rahul introduced Unadkat into the attack as a first-change bowler. Having bowled three disciplined overs, it was in his fourth over that Unadkat disturbed the Bangladeshi opening batters to an extent that ended up picking the wicket of Zakir Hasan (15).
Wanting to cut a ball which was too good to be cut, Hasan was found wanting due to the lack of room. As a result, ended up edging the ball to Rahul at fourth slip. Bowling his second spell after lunch, Unadkat once again looked threatening enough to pick a wicket. Bowling round the wicket to former Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim (26), Unadkat managed to induce another edge to pick his second Test wicket.
Although fast bowler Umesh Yadav and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked four wickets each on Day 1, Unadkat definitely created more impact with his two wickets of specialist batters.
Most expensive Indian cricketer in an Indian Premier League auction once, Unadkat getting to play a second Test will undoubtedly go down as an anecdote of a deserving cricketer toiling hard for 12 years in the domestic circuit instead of giving up on an dream.
Most Tests missed between appearances
| Player | Team | Matches | Duration |
| Gareth Batty | England | 142 | 11y 137d |
| Jaydev Unadkat | India | 118 | 12y 2d |
| Martin Bicknell | England | 114 | 10y 12d |
| Floyd Reifer | West Indies | 109 | 10y 172d |
| Younis Ahmed | Pakistan | 104 | 17y 111d |
Much like Unadkat, former England spinner Gareth Batty had also added to his seven Test caps in Bangladesh before playing his last Test match in India six years ago.
