India’s domestic cricket stalwart Jalaj Saxena reached an incredible feat of 6000 runs and 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. On Wednesday, November 6, while playing against Uttar Pradesh, Jalaj Saxena completed this elite feat and became the first-ever Indian cricketer to achieve those numbers. Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa hailed the spin-bowling all-rounder Jalaj Saxena and said that not all greats get to play for India.
The off-spinner achieved the historic feat during Day 1 of the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy. With the dismissal of Nitish Rana, his fourth of the game, Jalaj Saxena reached the feat of 400 wickets. The 37-year-old got Rana stumped to complete the milestone. Jalaj Saxena ran through the UP’s batting line up after Kerala skipper Sachin Baby won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Jalaj Saxena’s stellar domestic career and early life.
On the day, Jalaj Saxena first cleaned up the opposition captain Aryan Juyal (23 off 57) and further dismissed Madhav Kaushik (13 off 58), Siddharth Yadav (19 off 25) and Rana to achieve the feat. He also went on to add one more wicket to his tally and registered 29th five-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy history.
The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer is the 13th player in Ranji Trophy to take 400 wickets. In the last season, he had become just the fourth player to score 9000 runs and 600 wickets across formats in domestic cricket. In the ongoing season, Jalaj Saxena has scored 101 runs from two matches so far at an average of 50.50 with one half-century to his name.
Jalaj Saxena is a 37-year-old all-rounder from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The right-handed batter has amassed 6795 runs in 143 first-class matches at an average of 33.97, including 14 tons and 33 half-centuries. The off-spinner has also picked up 452 wickets, including 30 fifers. He took 34 wickets in seven games last season.
In the 2024-25 edition, Jalaj Saxena has scored 101 runs and picked up eight wickets in two matches.
Harbhajan Singh has come down hard on Rohit Sharma and the Indian cricket team management for overlooking the talented all-rounder Jalaj Saxena again and again despite his red-ball heroics.
The Indian selectors and the team management are already under heavy scrutiny after New Zealand handed them the embarrassment of whitewashing in the recent three-match Test series at home.
India has been struggling in Test cricket since earlier this year; despite this, the national selectors and captain Rohit Sharma are paying heed to the proven match-winners in domestic cricket like Jalaj Saxena, leaving Harbhajan Singh furious at them.
Harbhajan Singh slams Indian selectors and Rohit Sharma for overlooking Jalaj Saxena’s record-breaking Ranji Trophy performances
Jalaj Saxena has shattered records and set an extraordinary record by becoming the first Indian in Ranji Trophy history to claim 400 wickets and amass over 6,000 runs. Yet, despite his towering contributions and unyielding consistency over the years in India’s premier domestic tournament, the doors to international cricket remain tightly shut for the all-rounder.
The off-spinner has been continuously overlooking the India call-up, forcing one and all, including the former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, to question just what more the 37-year-old has to do to earn a spot on the Indian cricket team.
The Indian cricket team has always prided itself on recognizing talent from domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy for Test selection, but Saxena’s case is different as the IPL performers are giving preferences over the first-class heroics. He is the ideal all-rounder for any team, but the national selectors remain. Keep a close eye on him for India’s selection.
Harbhajan says Jalaj Saxena deserves India A call-up by the national selectors
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has slammed the selectors for ignoring the Ranji Trophy by picking players based on Indian Premier League (IPL) performances. He questioned the players about the importance of the prestigious domestic tournament after Jalaj Saxena failed to make it to India A despite scoring 6000 runs and picking up 400 wickets, the first player to do so.
Harbhajan’s reaction came after a tweet posted by a journalist on social media. The user wrote:
“400 wickets and 6000 runs for @jalajsaxena33 in the Ranji Trophy. The first man to achieve the feat in India’s national tournament. But still not good enough to play for India. Hard to comprehend. A champion and consistent performer. What more should he do?”
Harbhajan Singh replied:
“Agree with you. He should be considered at least for India A. Useless of playing Ranji now? People are getting picked from IPL.”
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had also slammed the selectors for ignoring Sarfaraz Khan for the Test series in West Indies last year. The reaction came after Sarfaraz was ignored despite averaging 100-plus in the Ranji Trophy for consecutive seasons.
The cricketer-turned-commentator told India Today (via Hindustan Times):
“Sarfaraz Khan has been scoring at an average of 100 in all past three seasons. What does he have to do to be picked in the squad? He might not be in the XI, but you pick him in the team.”
“Tell him that his performances are being recognized. Otherwise, stop playing Ranji Trophy. Say, it’s of no use, you just play IPL and think you are good enough for the red-ball game as well,” he added.
Sarfaraz Khan eventually made his Test debut against England earlier this year. The right-handed batter scored twin half-centuries on his debut. He recently smashed 150 against New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series.