Recently, Indian cricket saw the start of a new tradition with the national selection committee picking about 60 players for the Duleep Trophy tournament. In previous years, regional selectors chose teams for the tournament, but this year the process changed, leading to some decisions being questioned. One of the players affected by this was left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
Unadkat played his last Test match for India about a year ago, in July, against the West Indies in Port-of-Spain. However, within a year, the situation changed so much that the national selectors did not include him in any of the four teams chosen for the Duleep Trophy.
Other Players Also Left Out
It’s not just Unadkat who missed out. Fans and experts are also discussing the exclusion of players like Prithvi Shaw, IPL star Rinku Singh, and Abhishek Sharma. This decision shows that the selection criteria for the Duleep Trophy teams have become stricter. With only four teams now instead of five, players will need to perform even better in Ranji Trophy matches to secure their place.
Unadkat’s Decision
Despite being overlooked, Jaydev Unadkat, who plays for Saurashtra, is not giving up. He has joined the English county team Sussex, hoping to impress the selectors through his performances in county cricket. Even though Unadkat has consistently performed well in domestic cricket, he hasn’t been able to fully earn the trust of the national selectors. Since making his Test debut in 2010, Unadkat has played only four Test matches for India over the last 13 years, taking just three wickets.
