Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik has shared his best wishes with Jaydev Unadkat after his long awaited India callup. However Karthik also believes that it will be tough for Unadkat to get a place in the starting eleven as the team is already stacked for the upcoming 2-match Test series against Bangladesh.
The decision to callup the veteran pacer along with Navdeep Saini was taken after it was announced that Mohammed Shami is unfit to take part in this Test series .. So therefore Unadkat and Saini are added to the squad.
The left arm pacer has been one of the brightest names in Indian domestic cricket. He has led his team Saurashtra to Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy triumphs while playing integral roles. Although he is not a youngster anymore, it is his consistency and perseverance that deserved a chance and fortunately he has got that.
While there are some injury concerns around the Indian pace attack, they still have enough players in line who will start ahead of the left arm pacer. Karthik shares how a place in the starting eleven looks tough but the importance of the callup means a lot for Indian domestic cricket.
The wicketkeeper-batter feels that the likes of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur will start for the Indian team. So he sees less chances for Unadkat to get a place in the playing eleven. “I think Unadkat might not play this series, to be very honest. There is Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. There is a good chance he might not end up playing this series, but I think that is okay,” Dinesh Karthik stated on Cricbuzz.
However he shared how the call up must mean a lot to his efforts and hardwork in domestic cricket. I tis a reward for being a great servant of the sport in India. “The fact that he was rewarded, he has been given those whites to represent India, be part of the team, that matters the most. He might not even find a place in the team for the Australia series, with Bumrah or Shami coming in, we might move on.”
Unadkat made his Test debut in 2010 against South Africa at the SuperSport Park. He had a horrible outing as he went wicketless in India’s innings defeat.
