New Delhi: Jaydev Unadkat is having time of his life, playing a Test match for India after a 12-year gap and now he has picked a hat-trick in the first over against Delhi. With Delhi standing at 53/8, Unadkat has picked six wickets and is leading Saurashtra into a great position. With this, he became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the first over of the Ranji Trophy game.
Saurashtra’s captain dismissed quality batters Dhruv Shorey, Vaibhav Rawal and Yash Dhull in the first over. Karnataka’s pacer Vinay Kumar did something similar in the 2017-18 quarter-final against Mumbai as he picked a hat-trick across the first and third overs.
Unadkat’s five-wicket haul came in no time as he picked the other two wickets in his second over. With Lalit Yadav’s wicket, Delhi’s collapse led them to 5 for 6. The pacer was the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in December 2022 and led Saurashtra to lift the trophy. After that, he got another chance with the Indian Test team and by coming back to play for Saurashtra, he spread his magic everywhere.
Winners Are Grinners! ? ☺️@JUnadkat – captain of Saurashtra – receives the #VijayHazareTrophy from the hands of Mr. @JayShah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI. ? ?
Scorecard ? https://t.co/CGhKsFzC4g #Final | #SAUvMAH | @mastercardindia | @saucricket pic.twitter.com/fBrgckoghb
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 2, 2022
Chirag Jani and Prerak Mankad have picked one wicket each to lead Delhi to 53 after losing eight wickets in a crucial game. Currently, Delhi stands behind Mumbai and Maharashtra in their group and with such a poor start to the game, their chances to qualify look bleak.
In his Test recall, Jaydev Unadkat picked up his maiden Test wicket and ended up with three wickets in the two innings. He looked great against Bangladesh as his experience of bowling on flat pitches was visible and disturbing for the hosts. India won the series 2-0 and is in the second position in the World Test Championship.