Picture Credit: Twitter/@JUnadkat
Following India's elimination from T20 WC 2021, one of the hottest topics is the national side looking for a fast-bowling all-rounder. Hardik Pandya's fitness issues have been imminent for a while now and it seems like selectors have now realized the need to find a like-to-like replacement for him. All-rounders like Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube have not really taken their opportunities in past and the team management is certainly looking for someone who can produce consistent performances.
Venkatesh Iyer, who impressed everyone in second phase of IPL 2021 while playing for KKR, has been included in India's T20I side for the upcoming New Zealand series. He is expected to take over the role that Hardik has been playing for Men in Blue in recent times. On the other hand, it is Shardul Thakur who is likely to play that role in Test side in overseas conditions.
Just another pace bowler who can bat: Jaydev Unadkat
However, it must be noted that the competition for that spot might not end very soon. In the ongoing season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, many Indian players are demonstrating their skills with both bat and ball in order to push their case. Among all the all-rounders, experienced campaigner Jaydev Unadkat has now also thrown his name in the hat with a cryptic tweet on Friday.
The 30-year-old shared the footage of his batting against Hyderabad in recent SMAT game which took place in Sultanpur. It was his caption which caught everyone's attention as he stated, "Just another pace bowler who can bat," while adding a wink emoji.
Against a bowling line-up with included Mohammed Siraj, Unadkat led from the front and played a brilliant knock of 58* off 32 balls when his side was in trouble. The Saurashtra captain also had a good outing with the ball where he registered figures of 2/31 in 4 overs.
After such an all-round performance, it was expected that fans will talk about it considering the present situation where India are looking for pacers who can bat. The netizens went berserk as Unadkat's post was flooded with replies. While some fans thought that the player was taking a dig at selectors, the others praised his performances and termed him as 'better all-rounder than Hardik Pandya'.