3 great domestic cricket records held by Jaydev Unadkat

That Jaydev Unadkat is a giant in Indian domestic cricket requires no reiteration. The left-arm swing bowler from Saurashtra has been a consistent performer on the domestic circuit for years now, picking up wickets aplenty for fun.

At the helm of the Saurashtra setup as captain, he led them to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2019-20. All those years of toil have borne fruit, with Unadkat earning a recall to the Indian Test setup for their tour of Bangladesh last month.

For the uninitiated, he made his Test debut as a teenager in Centurion in 2010-11, when India toured South Africa for a three-match series. Taking the place of an injured Zaheer Khan, it was a tough introduction to the big stage as he sent down 26 wicketless overs in the only innings India bowled in.

Once Zaheer regained fitness, Unadkat was left out and the wait carried on for close to 12 years. He has made sporadic appearances in the white-ball formats in between, but the longest format has always been deemed the one best suited for him.

With 364 first-class wickets in 98 games at an average of 22.78 and a strike rate of 46.3, there is no looking back now for the 31-year-old seamer.

On that note, let's look at three outstanding records he holds in domestic cricket.

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#1 Most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season by a pacer

Unadkat's 2019-20 season at the helm of Saurashtra was as memorable as it could get. Not only did he captain his side to their maiden Ranji Trophy title, but he walked the talk and topped the wicket-takers' charts.

A wicket-taking spree saw him snare 67 wickets at a scarcely-believable average of 13.1 and a strike rate of 28.2 in 10 matches. The number remains the second-highest tally by a bowler in a single season, behind Bihar's Ashutosh Aman's tally of 68 in 2018-19.

To date, however, no other seamer has bagged as many wickets in a single season of the Ranji Trophy. Unadkat broke the record previously held by Karnataka's Dodda Ganesh, who bagged 62 wickets in the 1998-99 season.

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#2 First bowler to take a first-over hat-trick in the Ranji Trophy

When Delhi opted to bat first against Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy clash in Rajkot, little did they know that they get off to a disastrous start in 2023. Their top order came apart to shreds against a rampaging Unadkat, who was back to lead the hosts after his long-awaited Test comeback.

Unadkat castled Dhruv Shorey off just the third ball of the game, before snaring the wickets of Vaibhav Rawal and Delhi skipper Yash Dhull off the next two deliveries. His hat-trick in the opening over of the contest was the first such instance in the rich history of the Ranji Trophy.

It was rather fitting that the Saurashtra skipper bagged this record, given the years of toil and hard work he has put in. He ended the innings with unbelievable returns of 8/39, paving the way for his team's innings victory.

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#3 Bagged 13 wickets on his first-class debut

An 18-year-old Unadkat made his first-class bow directly for India A when they took on West Indies A in Leicester in 2010. He announced his arrival in grand fashion, scalping seven wickets in the first innings.

He didn't stop at that, however, as he toiled away for close to 28 overs in the second essay to bag six more against his name. Finishing with match returns of 13/103, his exploits included dismissing now West Indian Test skipper Kraigg Brathwaite twice in the game.

Clearly, the signs were always there that Unadkat was cut out for the longest format and that he had the makings of a workhorse. No wonder then that he was fast-tracked into India's Test setup later that year for the tour of South Africa.

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Should Jaydev Unadkat be a sure start in India's Test XI? Have your say in the comments section below!

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