Bangladesh vs India: Jaydev Unadkat makes India comeback after 118 Test matches

Dhaka, Dec 22: They say there is no substitute for hard work and persistence pays off, well that certainly could be said for left-arm India pacer Jaydev Unadkat.

The senior cricketer from Saurashtra made his India comeback in the second Test match against Bangladesh in the second and final game of the series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

The seamer was included in India's playing eleven as the third fast-bowling option in Dhaka Test. It was after a gap of 118 Test matches that Unadkat is playing for India again, which is the second-longest in the history of Test cricket.

Most Test matches missed before a comeback

Former England cricketer Gareth Batty holds an unwanted record as he missed 142 Tests between his two matches. Batty played for England in 2005 and later made a comeback in 2016, which was 11 years and 335 days.

The Saurashtra skipper's comeback to the national side is the second-longest in the history of Indian cricket, in terms of days. It is after a gap of 12 years and 2 days that Unadkat is playing for Team India again. Legendary India cricketer Lala Amarnath holds the record for missing the most number of days to play a second Test for India. He had to wait for 12 years and 129 days which was elongated by World War 2.

Before Unadkat - the record was held by senior India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik (2010-2018). Karthik - who made his India comeback in 2018 on the tour of England - had missed 87 consecutive Tests before making his India comeback.

Most consecutive Tests missed between appearances

142 Gareth Batty (England) (2005-16)
118 Jaydev Unadkat (India) (2010-22)
114 Martin Bicknell (England) (1993-03)
109 Floyd Riefer (West Indies) (1999-09)
104 Younis Ahmed (Pakistan) (1969-87)
103 Derek Shackleton (England) (1951-63)

Unadkat slammed the door open with his performance in Ranji Trophy

The Saurashtra cricketer made his Test debut as a 19-year-old in Centurion against South Africa in 2010 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. He, however, failed to make an impact in his debut game and couldn't pick up a single wicket in that Test. He went on to play 7 ODIs and 10 T20I games for India but couldn't make it to the Test squad.

In first-class cricket, Unadkat has performed well and picked up 353 wickets from 96 games for Saurashtra. He has bowled at an excellent average of 23.04 in the domestic circuit. He has also led Saurashtra to the Ranji Trophy title and only recently he led the team to Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 win.