Playing in the Ranji Trophy will help Jadeja build red-ball rhythm ahead of India’s two-match Test tour of New Zealand, to be played in Wellington (November 19-23) and Christchurch (November 27 to December 1).

The 92nd edition of the prestigious red-ball tournament begins on October 11, with former champions Saurashtra placed in Elite Group B alongside Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Punjab, and Tripura.

Unadkat-led Saurashtra will kick off their campaign against Chhattisgarh at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Saurashtra, who won the premier domestic title twice under Unadkat’s leadership in 2019/20 and 2022/23, have retained as many as 14 players from last season’s squad.

Left-arm pacer Unadkat is coming off enjoying a prolific outing for Sussex, picking up 28 wickets across seven matches at an average of 22.21, including picking a stellar 5-32 against Hampshire, alongside two four-wicket hauls.

Saurashtra suffered an early exit in the group stage during the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy and will be keen to have a stronger campaign this year.

The selection committee has handed call-ups to two new faces – pacer Neel Pandya and all-rounder Arth Yadav. Harvik Desai will continue to fulfill wicket-keeping duties, while the batting unit will feature experienced hands Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani and Jay Gohil.

Unadkat will spearhead the pace department alongside left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, though experienced left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja has moved out of the team and will now represent Chhattisgarh. This means a lot of spin bowling responsibilities rest on Parth Bhut in the season.

Saurashtra squad: Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Harvik Desai (wk), Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Jay Gohil, Chetan Sakariya, Ankur Panwar, Sammar Gajjar, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Hetvik Kotak, Neel Pandya, and Arth Yadav, Tarang Gohel.