"Not blaming anyone" - Jalaj Saxena breaks silence after being ignored for Duleep Trophy despite being highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy

Jalaj Saxena has expressed surprise at not getting picked for the South Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2023.

While Saxena did not blame anyone for his exclusion, he was curious to know if the highest wicket-taker of the latest Ranji Trophy season had ever been left out of Duleep Trophy before in Indian domestic cricket history.

Kerala all-rounder Saxena finished at the top of the bowlers' leaderboard in Ranji Trophy 2023 Elite round. He played seven matches for his team, scalping 50 wickets at an economy rate of 2.75.

Earlier this month, South Zone's selection committee named a strong squad for the 2023 Duleep Trophy, with Saxena being the notable omission. Reacting to his exclusion, the off-spinner wrote on Twitter:

"Highest wicket taker in Ranji trophy in India( Elite Group) didn't get picked in Duleep trophy. Can you please check whether it has ever happened in the Indian Domestic history? Just wanted to know. Not blaming anyone."

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Jalaj Saxena took 6 five-wicket hauls in Ranji Trophy 2023

Jalaj Saxena accounted for 50 wickets in the 2023 Ranji Trophy, including six five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket match hauls. He also recorded one four-wicket haul, while his best figures were 11/102.

Despite his excellent performance in the competition, Saxena did not make it to the South Zone squad, with the selectors preferring Washington Sundar over him.

Sundar is also an off-spin bowling all-rounder. He has played multiple Test matches for India and helped them record some memorable wins.

Saxena is not the first cricketer to comment on South Zone team selection this year. A few days ago, Dinesh Karthik was baffled to see Baba Indrajith's name missing from the squad. He called out the selection committee on Twitter, asking for the reason behind the decision.