Kerala all-rounder Jalaj Saxena has achieved a unique milestone in Ranji Trophy cricket. He becomes the first player with 6000 runs and 400 wickets to his name.
He bats right-handed and bowls off-spin googly. The all-rounder achieved this unique feat after picking up the 4th wicket in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Uttar Pradesh. This was the fourth-round match at the St. Xavier’s College Ground.
Saxena crossed 6000 runs in the previous game in Kolkata. He has been a consistent performer in the Ranji Trophy. He has 6795 runs in 143 matches at an average of 33.97 including 14 centuries and 33 fifties in First-Class cricket.
Jalaj also has 452 wickets at an average of 25.68. It includes 16 four-wicket-hauls, 30 five-wicket-hauls and 8 ten-wicket-hauls in his first-class career.
Jalax Saxena’s journey in Ranji Trophy
He made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2005. He played for Madhya Pradesh for 11 years before moving to Kerala. Saxena scored 4041 runs and picked up 159 wickets for MP.
He then made a move to Kerala in the 2016-17 season. Jalaj is only behind KN Ananthapadmanabhan in most wickets picked for Kerala in first-class cricket. He became the 4th player in Indian domestic cricket history with 9000 runs and 600 wickets across all three formats of the game. The other three players to achieve this feat are Vinoo Mankad, Madan Lal and Parvez Rasool.
Saxena has been one of the most consistent performers in domestic cricket. His record has earned him a spot in an elite list of players like Vijay Hazare, Madan Lal and Sunil Joshi.
He has played in the IPL as well. The 37 year old has been a part of the Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. He has played only 4 games in international franchise cricket leagues.
It includes 3 matches in the Champions League for Mumbai Indians and one game for the Punjab Kings in the IPL. He picked up a wicket playing for MI in the Champions League T20.
