Vinay Kumar
The Indian Test team is currently playing the second and final match of the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh in Mirpur. In the first match, India defeated Bangladesh by 188 runs. In this second Test match to be played from 22 to 26 December, India’s fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat got a chance in Test cricket after 12 years.
About 12 years after playing the first Test match, he got to play the second match of his Test career. He made a comeback in the second match of the latest Test series against Bangladesh (IND vs BAN 2nd Test, Mirpur Bangladesh, 2022).
Significantly, left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat made his debut in International Test cricket in the year 2010, when the Indian team was on a tour of South Africa. In that tour, he played the first match of his Test career against South Africa at Centurion ground.
Unadkat became the only Indian player in Test cricket to have a gap of 12 years between two Test matches in his career, the longest by any player in the world. The history of international Test cricket tells that he has returned to the Test match field after playing 118 Test matches for the Indian Test team in that tour of South Africa in 2010. He left behind Dinesh Karthik’s gap of 87 Test matches.
Top-5 players of the world who returned to the field after the longest gap in Test cricket
- After 142 matches: Gareth Batty (2005 to 2016)
- After 118 matches: Jaydev Unadkat (2022 after 2010)
- After 114 matches: Martin Bicknell (1993 to 2003)
- After 109 matches: Floyd Reifer (1999 to 2009)
- After 104 matches: Younus Ahmed (1969 to 1987)
Significantly, Jaydev Unadkat has consistently performed well in domestic cricket, due to which he has got this opportunity. He plays for the Saurashtra team. In the season of Ranji Trophy Tournament 2019/20, team captain Jaydev Unadkat took 67 wickets in just 16 innings.