Ravichandran Ashwin hails 'torchbearer' Unadkat after India return, demands more exposure to domestic cricket

Add as a preferred source on Google

Jaydev Unadkat's amazing return to the Indian test cricket circuit depicts that domestic performances shouldn't be overlooked, says India's off-spinning ace Ravichandran Ashwin.

Unadkat made a comeback after 12 years when he played in the second Test against Bangladesh at Mirpur and picked up three wickets in the India victory.

"He posed with the trophy and I told him you could lift this trophy because of the other trophy (Ranji trophy) that you lifted. You completely deserve for all what you have done for Saurashtra cricket," Ashwin said on his Tamil YouTube Channel in a segment called 'Kutty Story'.

Having led them to the Ranji Trophy title in 2020 with 67 wickets, the Saurashtra skipper was once again at the forefront of their Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph this year, which played a huge part in his team India selection.

"He bowled like an experienced pro and it is not easy. Everyone will have white ball memory and how well he didn't bowl for Rajasthan and so on. But go and see his red ball numbers," Ashwin added.

Unadkat claimed three wickets in the Mirpur Test. And Ashwin says the Saurashtra pacer has been a 'torchbearer' for his domestic team, as the pacer has been at the nucleus of all their successes.

After the success of IPL, the T20 tournament has become a constant feeder for Team India but Ashwin said India's domestic tournaments such as Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy have been the real platform for Indian talents.

"In India, if there is a hot selling topic, everyone will have a say about that. They forget other people's struggles. We should take a closer look at our domestic cricket. IPL is changing lives and it takes centre stage as its bread and butter. They are showing their ability in IPL and getting recognition with Test and ODI call-ups. But 70 to 80 per cent of people playing cricket in India are smashing doors with performances in Ranji Trophy," he added.

Ashwin went on to cite examples of other domestic stalwarts like Sarfaraz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhimanyu Easwaran.

"I can give you many examples. Unadkat, Saurabh Kumar. He plays for UP. He has a contract with Kings XI but consistently gets wickets in first-class cricket," he said. Saurabh Kumar was also included in the Bangladesh tests but the spinner didn't get a chance to make his debut. He did exceedingly well for India A against Bangladesh recently, picking up 15 wickets in two Tests.

He also went on to praise Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and Mumbai player Sarfaraz Khan for their contributions in the domestic circuit.

Ashwin also voiced against the unfair criticism a player gets if he fails in the IPL or in international matches. Ashwin added that people tend to forget players' sacrifices and overlook their domestic performances as those matches are not easily accessible or not glamorous.

"Ranji, Duleep, Irani and India A and if you fail at one level you will be criticised. Just because in IPL they perform in front of our eyes, we recognise them but we fail to recognise the hard work of other cricketers," Ashwin further elaborated.

Ravichandran Ashwin made a giant leap in the latest ICC test rankings after his impressive display against Bangladesh. He starred with both bat and ball in the second match. Ashwin, along with Shreyas Iyer, added 71 crucial runs to get India over the line in the 2nd test at Mirpur.