IND vs BAN 1st Test: India's left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat has landed in Chattogram after a Visa issue delayed his arrival in Bangladesh, where team India are playing a Test series currently. Unadkat, who was called in as a replacement in the Test squad has been welcomed by Team India at the start of the second day of first Test between the two neighbouring countries. Notably, Unadkat was not available for the first Test due to a delay in the completion of Visa formalities.
BCCI posted a picture confirming Unadkat's arrival. In a picture posted by the Indian board, Unadkat can be seen in the team hurdle ahead of the second day of the Test match in Chattogram. BCCI captioned the picture, "Hey Jaydev Unadkat, welcome back to Team India!" The left-arm fast bowler was called in as a replacement to the injury-hit Indian squad. Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out of the two-match Test series, while regular captain Rohit Sharma is out of the first Test as he is nursing his injured thumb. The Saurashtra bowler was added to the Indian Test squad on Saturday, December 10.
Later BCCI also shared the addition of a few more players to the team. Navdeep Saini, Saurabh Kumar and Abhimanyu Easwaran were included in the Team. Unadkat had last played a Test in 2010. If he gets picked for the second Test against Bangladesh, Unadkat will set the record for the lengthiest gap between two Tests by an Indian cricketer, which is currently held by Parthiv Patel. The 31-year-old Unadkat led his domestic team Saurashtra to the Vijay Hazare Trophy win recently and also helped them win the maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019-2020.
Giving an update on the injured players, BCCI wrote, "India captain Rohit Sharma met with a specialist in Mumbai for his left thumb injury, which he sustained during the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh. He has been advised of appropriate management for this injury and will not be available for the first Test against Bangladesh. The BCCI Medical Team will take a call on his availability for the second and final Test at a later stage. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Abhimanyu Easwaran as his replacement for the first Test."
"Fast bowler Mohd. Shami and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are yet to fully recover from their respective shoulder and knee injuries and are ruled out of the Test series. The selectors have named Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar as replacements for Shami and Jadeja respectively. The selection committee has also added fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat to India’s squad for the Test series," the Indian board added.
