Ranji Trophy veteran Jalaj Saxena of Kerala has created history in the ongoing clash against Uttar Pradesh at St Xavier's College Ground. The fourth round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy edition got underway today with Kerala locking horns against the UP side in one of the matches and yet again it was Saxena who stepped up with the ball for his side.
Kerala skittled UP for just 162 runs with the 37-year-old picking up his 29th five-wicket haul in India's premier red-ball cricket tournament. Nitish Rana was the fourth victim of Saxena and with his wicket, the all-rounder became the first-ever player in the Ranji Trophy to complete the double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets.
Jalaj Saxena completed 6000 runs in the tournament in the previous round against Kolkata and completed the milestone of 400 wickets on the opening day of the fourth round. It is a humongous achievement which highlights his longevity and consistency as an all-rounder. It is very surprising that Jalaj never got to play for India during his career which has now spanned for almost two decades.
For the unversed, he began his first-class career at the age of 18 with Madhya Pradesh picking up 159 wickets and smashing 4041 runs in his 11-year stint with the team. Ahead of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season, the off-spinner shifted his base to Kerala and hasn't looked back since then.
Jalaj Saxena's latest achievement is only another feather in his already illustrious cap. Last season he joined the elite list when he became only the fourth player in the history of India's domestic cricket to complete the double of 9000 runs and 600 wickets across all formats. Vinoo Mankad, Madan Lal and Parvez Rasool have achieved this milestone before.
As far as his first-class record is concerned, Saxena has amassed 6795 runs at an average of 33.97 in 222 innings with 14 centuries and 33 fifties to his name and has accounted for 457 wickets with 31 five-wicket hauls to his credit.
