Shikhar Dhawan will be leading Team India on Sri Lanka tour.
Team India is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka in July for limited-overs series. After BCCI announced the 20-member squad for the upcoming tour, the cricket fraternity was divided over exclusion of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat.
While a lot of people wanted Unadkat in the squad, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt the seamer with his experience could not be named as a net bowler, while adding that the left-armer is unlucky to miss out on selection for the tour.
“I wonder whether they would have included Unadkat as a net bowler considering his experience and he's an India player… a seasoned First-Class bowler. He's unlucky to miss out. When you look at the seam department, it's not the strongest because the quality bowlers are playing Test cricket for India,” Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
SL v IND 2021: "He is hardworking and passionate," Deep Dasgupta speaks on Jaydev Unadkat's snub
The 29-year-old who has been very successful in the domestic circuit, he has not been able to become a ‘raging success’ in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Thus, his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate Chetan Sakariya was picked ahead of his senior counterpart.
“Unadkat would feel hard done by. He's never been an IPL raging success. I mean, he has been brilliant at the First-Class level. This year though I think there were a couple of performances where he's shown his class.”
“When you look at the seam-bowling options, you've got a Sakariya, you've got someone like a Pandya who can bowl. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Saini… maybe Unadkat might have felt he could have got a nod there,” the cricketer-turned-commentator said.
The Indian team led by opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan with Bhuvneshwar Kumar as his deputy consists of six uncapped players. The limited-overs tour will begin from July 13 with all the matches being played at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)