Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has raised concerns about the relevance of the Ranji Trophy, questioning why players like Jalaj Saxena have not been able to break into the Indian team despite their impressive performances in the domestic tournament for nearly two decades. The veteran all-rounder was surprised to see Saxena not even being considered for the India A side, which is currently facing challenges against Australia A in Melbourne.
Harbhajan's comments were prompted by a tweet from journalist Vijay Lokapally highlighting Saxena's remarkable achievement of being the only player in the history of the Ranji Trophy to have taken 400 wickets and scored 6000 runs over several decades.
At 37 years old, Saxena has consistently delivered strong performances for his domestic teams, currently representing Kerala and recently scoring 84 runs in a match against Bengal. Despite his impressive track record, Saxena's exclusion from higher levels of Indian cricket has raised questions about the selection process and the opportunities available to talented players like him.
"400 wickets and 6000 runs for @jalajsaxena33 in the Ranji Trophy. The first man to achieve the feat in India's national tournament," Lokapally tweeted.
“Agree with you. He should be considered at least for India A. Useless of playing Ranji now? People are getting picked from IPL," Harbhajan replied.
Saxena made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2005 during a Ranji Trophy game against Kerala. While his debut performance was not particularly noteworthy, he has since accumulated an impressive record of 6795 runs from 143 matches, including 14 centuries.
In addition to his batting prowess, Saxena has also proven to be a formidable bowler, taking 452 wickets in those matches at an impressive economy rate of 2.74. His all-round skills have garnered attention, leading to opportunities to play for the Punjab Kings in one match and the Mumbai Indians in three matches during the Champions League.
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