One of the most underappreciated all-rounders playing in India has been Jalaj Saxena. The talented spin bowling all-rounder, who was born in Madhya Pradesh, has played in more than 130 first-class matches and has represented both Kerala and Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.
In an unexpected turn of events, Jalaj Saxena, one of the most reliable players in domestic cricket, has questioned his exclusion from the Duleep Trophy despite finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2022–23 season.
The gifted all-arounder, who is renowned for his exceptional bat and ball skills, has expressed his disappointment and annoyance over the omission.
Among all-rounders competing in India’s domestic circuit, Jalaj Saxena has been one of the most underappreciated. The talented all-round spin bowler from Madhya Pradesh has played in over 130 first-class matches since his birth. In the Ranji Trophy, he has competed for both Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.
Saxena has 410 wickets at a stellar average of 25.97. In addition, over the course of a 17-year career, he collected 28 fifers and 7 ten-wicket hauls. The 36-year-old has repeatedly demonstrated how useful he is as a whole.
He has hit 14 centuries in his 14 innings as a batter. In 133 games over the course of his first-class career, Saxena scored 6567 runs, averaging 34 points per game.
Jalaj Saxena has shown once again that he is a cut above the competition on the domestic circuit in the current edition of India’s premier red-ball competition.
Saxena, who is playing for Kerala for the seventh time (since 2016) in his Ranji career, shows no signs of slowing down with the ball in hand as he finished the 2022–23 league stage with the most wickets across all teams. With six 5-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls, the off-spinner has taken 50 wickets at a 19 point 26 average.
Jalaj Saxena picked another field goal for Kerala in their final league game against Puducherry. However, this was insufficient for his team to advance to the Ranji Trophy’s final eight in 2022–23. This was his sixth wicket this season, and in the three victories for Kerala, his performances stood out in assisting the victory.
The veteran offie’s brilliant performance this season is not new. Jalaj Saxena played just three games during the 2022 season that Covid affected. At a strike rate of below 20, he took 13 wickets. He took 28 wickets at an average of 21 points per game during the 2018–19 season.
Following their victory over Gujarat in the quarterfinal, Kerala advanced to their first-ever Ranji Trophy semifinal. He scored 522 runs in the 2017–18 campaign. Sanju Samson, who scored 627 runs, was Kerala’s second-highest run scorer behind Saxena.
In addition to his runs, Jalaj was the top wicket-taker for both teams that season, taking 44 wickets as Kerala advanced to the quarterfinals. This demonstrates the value he has added to the Kerala team since joining the group in 2016.
Saxena was a reliable performer in domestic cricket, but his exclusion from the competition raises significant concerns about the selection process and the standards used to choose players.
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