Former Indian cricket team spinner Harbhajan Singh has strongly criticized the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee for not selecting Jalaj Saxena in the India or India-A team. Despite setting several records in the Ranji Trophy and playing domestic cricket for 17 years, Jalaj Saxena has been overlooked.
Jalaj is the only player in Ranji Trophy history to have scored 6000 runs and taken 400 wickets. However, he was not included in the India-A team for the three unofficial matches against Australia-A. In response to a tweet highlighting Jalaj’s records, Harbhajan questioned if the selection of players from the IPL is making domestic tournaments irrelevant.
Harbhajan responded to the tweet saying, “I agree with you. Jalaj should have at least been selected for India-A. Players are being chosen from the IPL.” Jalaj started his first-class career with Madhya Pradesh. During his 11-year stint with the team, he claimed 159 wickets and scored 4041 runs.
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In the 2016-17 season, he moved to Kerala, becoming the second-highest wicket-taker for the team in first-class cricket, trailing only KN Ananthapadmanabhan. Last season, Jalaj became the fourth player in Indian domestic cricket history to achieve 9000 runs and 600 wickets across all formats. His record in the Ranji Trophy is unparalleled among active all-rounders and places him alongside Indian greats like Vijay Hazare, Madan Lal, and Sunil Joshi.
Harbhajan also mentioned that India’s 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand was a disappointing outcome for Rohit Sharma’s team. The Indian batsmen struggled against the spin trio of Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, and Glenn Phillips, crumbling like a house of cards despite their reputation as strong players of spin on home soil. New Zealand became the first team to whitewash India in a Test series of three or more matches at home.