Jaydev Unadkat's first reaction to India call-up after 12 years: 'Looks like it's real'

Jaydev Unadkat's long wait for another India call-up ended on Sunday night when the BCCI's selection committee rewarded him with a spot in the Test squad for the impending two-match Test series in Bangladesh. Moments after the big news, Unadkat, who is expected to join the squad in the next few days in Chattogram, wrote an emotional post which went viral on social media.

Mohammed Shami had injured his shoulder while training in Bangladesh and was subsequently ruled out of the entire three-match ODI series. He later shifted to BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru to undergo rehab, but failed to recover for the Test series. BCCI hence named Unadkat as his replacement for the tour, handing the veteran fast bowler his first ever India Test call-up in 12 years.

The only other time he was called up for a Test series was back in the 2010-11 tour of South Africa. He made his debut in the Centurion tie on December 16 of 2010, ending with no wickets while conceding 101 runs in India's innings defeat. Unadkat was back then a teenager, but has now evolved into one of the most prolific players in the Indian domestic circuit, having picked 115 wickets in 21 matches across the last three Ranji Trophy seasons. The run included his magnificent title-winning campaign for Saurashtra in 2019/20 where he had picked 67 wickets, the second most for a bowler in a single edition.

"Okay, looks like its real! This one's for all those who have kept believing & supporting me.. I am grateful #267," tweeted after the BCCI made the announcement on Sunday.

BCCI made a couple of other changes to the Test squad as well. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who led India A to a win against Bangladesh A in the four-day series, has replaced injured Rohit Sharma, who hurt his thumb during the ODI contest. The selectors also named Saurabh Kumar as replacement for Ravindra Jadeja and added fast bowler Navdeep Saini to India's squad for the Test series.