Watch: Last week, Jaydev Unadkat played a Test match after a 12-year gap. Now back as Saurashtra captain, he scythed through the Delhi top order to return career-best figures of 8-39.

Saurashtra were hosting Delhi at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C in Rajkot. Unadkat bowled the first over after Delhi captain Yash Dhull won the toss and opted to bat. His third ball pitched on middle stump and held its line to bowl Dhruv Shorey through the gate. The next ball, beautifully pitched up, took the left-handed Vaibhav Rawal’s outside edge, and wicketkeeper Harvik Desai held a low catch.

Dhull himself was the next man in. Unadkat trapped him leg-before, again with a ball that held its line, to become the third Saurashtra bowler to complete a hat-trick, after Shah Nyalchand (against Baroda, 1961/62) and Siddharth Trivedi (against Punjab, 2011/12).

After Chirag Jani (1-14) took  out Ayush Badoni at the other end, Unadkat had the left-handed Jonty Sidhu at the other end. With the last ball of the over, he trapped Lalit Yadav leg-before. Unadkat’s figures, now 2-0-5-5, only got better when he hit Delhi wicketkeeper Lakshay Thareja on the pads. He had taken six wickets in three overs.

Delhi were 10-7 at this point, but No.9 Hrithik Shokeen made 68 not out. He added 43 with Priyanshu Vijayran (15) and 80 with Shashank Vashisht (38) to help Delhi recover to 133.

However, while Prerak Mankad (1-2) got Vijayran, it was left to Unadkat to round things off. In his 12th over, Unadkat had Vashisht caught in the arc of fielders on the off-side, and had Kuldip Yadav caught-behind next ball. He will be on a hat-trick in the second innings as well.

Unadkat’s 8-39 are his best figures in First-class cricket as well as the best for Saurashtra. He bettered Surjuram Giridhari’s 8-55 against Gujarat – a record that stood since 1947/48. These are also the third-best figures against Delhi, after Vinay Kumar’s 8-32 (for Karnataka in 2009/10) and Umesh Kumar’s 8-37 (for Punjab in 1974/75).

Watch: Jaydev Unadkat’s career-best haul of 8-39

𝘿𝙊 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙈𝙄𝙎𝙎!@JUnadkat claimed 8️⃣ wickets against Delhi including a HAT-TRICK in the very first over 👏👏

Sensational stuff from the Saurashtra skipper!

Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/6ZKXg47X3z #SAUvDEL | @saucricket | #RanjiTrophy | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/qdPWKzNEpa

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 4, 2023