'Played with a bleeding fingernail' - Emotional Jaydev Unadkat relives First Class debut ahead of 100th match

Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat will reach the incredible landmark of 100 First-Class games when his side takes on Andhra in a Ranji Trophy game in Rajkot. The veteran pacer, who recently made his return to the national side, got emotional ahead of his 100th game, remembering his FC debut almost 13 years ago.

Jaydev Unadkat made his FC debut in 2010 when he represented the India A against the West Indies A in Leicester, during his side's tour of England. However, the veteran Indian pacer revealed that he injured his bowling finger before the match and had to bowl with a bleeding fingernail. Unadkat relieved those 'surreal' moments ahead of his landmark game and reckoned he has still got the same hunger and desire to play the game even after nearly 13 years.

On the eve of my 100th first-class game, I want to take a moment and reflect on this journey which has been filled with emotions, passion & pride!

I remember the moment when i made my first-class debut vividly. I had injured my bowling finger a day before the game.. pic.twitter.com/lUHoxubNeL

— Jaydev Unadkat (@JUnadkat) January 16, 2023

"On the eve of my 100th first-class game, I want to take a moment and reflect on this journey which has been filled with emotions, passion & pride! I remember the moment when I made my first-class debut vividly. I had injured my bowling finger a day before the game.

"I so wanted to play & make my debut. I did play with a bleeding fingernail, and gosh, that feeling was surreal! Today, 12 years & 7 months later, I can proudly say that I played 99 games with the same approach and passion that I had when I played the 1st match!

"Before I step on the field tomorrow, while I would be grateful to the almighty & to a lot of people, I would be proud of myself for this once, for this was a goal that was close to my heart! Major bucket list ticked off!" Unadkat wrote in a series of tweets.

The 31-year-old pacer has been in sensational form in the domestic circuit and was rewarded with a national call-up in December last year. He has retained his place in the national squad after the Indian team announced the squad of the opening two Test matches for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia next month.