3 ways Sussex County stint can help Jaydev Unadkat

Indian seamer Jaydev Unadkat will turn out for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship in September, with the announcement being made on Thursday.

Unadkat will feature in three matches even as Sussex, who are currently placed fourth in Division Two of the County Championship, are due to play four more matches this season. He will link up with fellow India and Saurashtra teammate Cheteshwar Pujara during his stint in England.

This will be Unadkat's maiden appearance in the County Championship. He made a comeback to the Indian Test team when they toured Bangladesh in December last year, having debuted as a teenager in South Africa way back in 2010.

The County Championship has seen a number of Indian players ply their trade over time with Pujara being a regular presence and Arshdeep Singh also turning out for Kent in June this year.

Unadkat will look to maximize the opportunity on hand and build on a solid first-class career, having bagged 382 wickets from 103 matches at 22.58 apiece and a strike rate of 45.9.

Here, let's look at three ways in which he will benefit from his short stint with Sussex in September:

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#1 Unadkat can gain invaluable experience with the Dukes ball

Unadkat hasn't played too much first-class cricket in England although it so happens that he debuted in the format on these very shores as an 18-year-old back in 2010.

There was a feeling that he was the missing piece in India's jigsaw for the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London in June this year. He wasn't picked as part of a four-man attack either though, even as his left-arm variety and control would have lent wings to the bowling unit.

The Dukes ball has historically been famous for movement over long periods of time although the last couple of Test summers haven't seen it behave in the same manner.

Either way, bowling with the Dukes ball in England is something that Unadkat will benefit from having gained plenty of experience with the SG ball back in India. He did bowl with the Dukes ball in the Caribbean too but this experience will hold him in good stead for future endeavors in England and perhaps allow him to explore a different side to his bowling across conditions.

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#2 Could gain confidence after a wicketless Test tour of West Indies

Unadkat played both Tests in the West Indies in July apart from featuring in the final ODI as well. While he showed the exemplary control that he has become renowned for in first-class cricket back home, he went wicketless across the 28 overs he sent down in the Test rubber.

Conditions certainly did not favor his style of bowling and on most occasions, the best he could do was dry up the runs. Notwithstanding the same, there's nothing like a burst of wickets to boost a bowler's confidence and the left-arm seamer would have left the Caribbean islands with mixed feelings.

Turning up for Sussex gives him an opportunity to get back amongst the wickets in conditions that could certainly assist him a lot more than they did in the West Indies. It could just give him the confidence he needs ahead of some crucial Test endeavors that are lined up.

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#3 Important game time with the red ball ahead of the South Africa tour

India's next Test endeavor sees them tour South Africa for two games towards the end of December and following the conclusion of the white-ball leg. Unadkat is expected to play a huge role in conditions that are bound to favor seam bowling in Centurion and Cape Town.

Barring the Irani Cup clash between Saurashtra and the Rest of India on October 1, the next major red ball domestic fixture will take place once the Ranji Trophy commences in January 2024, clashing with the second Test in South Africa.

Unless there's a shadow tour with the India A team prior to the Tests, Unadkat will not have played much red-ball cricket leading into them.

The South Africa tour might be a good time away but these games with Sussex will certainly build his rhythm with the red ball and hold him in good stead for the endeavors ahead.

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What are you most looking forward to from Jaydev Unadkat's stint with Sussex in the County Championship? Let us know in the comments section below!

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