Sheldon Jackson – India’s Best Wicket-Keeper Batsman You’ve Probably Not Heard Of

Sheldon Jackson has the best FC batting average among all India’s domestic wicket keepers

Sheldon Jackson lost his father when he was 10. Six years before that, Sheldon was adopted by his uncle Lester Bell, to aid Sheldon’s family suffering from acute poverty. At 12, Sheldon moved to Mumbai with his uncle. To comprehend a cricketer, trivia of this nature is important. After all cricket is just a game, at the end of the day. How tough could it be, compared to the trials, tribulations and travails that life throws on some of us and some more on people like Sheldon!

Luckily for Sheldon, life took it a little easy after the initial outburst, passing him on to a man who cared for Sheldon’s ambitions. His uncle made sure Sheldon’s talent in outdoor games including hockey, athletics and football blossomed with due nurturing.

Cricket became the pick for the young wicketkeeper but Mumbai wasn’t the right place for a weather-beaten budding cricketer – it is too crowded – and hence Sheldon moved back to Bhavnagar after three years of training in Mumbai. Almost on cue, he got picked in Saurashtra’s U-16 side.

Jackson’s career so far is one that offers bilateral perspectives. That his talent had to compete and overlap with India’s greatest ever wicket-keeper batsman’s career is just a small demonstration of the bad part of the roulette he attracted. Yet, every now and then, he shows sparks, almost waking the selectors up from stupor.

The consistency that could have fast-tracked him into the squad is missing and that is where the talented 29 year old has to work on his game. He performs in alternate years though he did end at the right place at the right time. He finished the 2014-15 Ranji season as the fifth most prolific run-getter, not to mention his impressive showing as wicket-keeper, throwing his hat into the ring for the battle of wicket-keepers, which was forced into life with Dhoni’s sudden retirement.

Where Sheldon ranks among contenders for India’s wicket keeper’s slot

Jackson had a glorious 2012-13 season too where he scored 756 runs for Saurashtra at 58.15 in just 9 matches, with three centuries and four half-centuries. That year, his team finished second on the points table behind Punjab. The 2014-15 season was even better for Jackson, as he scored 819 runs in just 8 matches at 68.25 with three centuries and three half-centuries.

A Royal Challengers Bangalore call-up ensured some financial stability too after a fruitless stint with KKR that followed a previous good showing in Ranji. Until now, he had rubbed shoulders with international players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja who play for the same team as he does. But, IPL going forward could be a golden opportunity to play with the likes of Virat Kohli, who is easily one of the most influential men in Indian cricket for a talented cricketer to impress.

After two stints at the IPL, with KKR and RCB, Sheldon Jackson still awaits a golden opportunity to shine at the stage that draws most eyeballs in Indian cricket, for good or for bad.

Jackson has followed up a good 2014-15 season with a decent 2015 season at the Ranji which has been marked by some spicy wickets. He is Saurashtra’s second most prolific run-getter this season with 356 runs at an average of 35.6 with a century and two half-centuries, batting at No.6. One of those half-centuries was a heart-breaking 97 that helped his team overpower Tripura by an innings.

Saurashtra is at the top in Group C and comfortably at that, owing to Jackson’s prolific form in the lower middle order. As if that wasn’t proof enough for his maturity as a reliable wicket-keeper batsman, he has reminded the selectors of his talent with his back-to-back centuries at the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jackson smashed a 108 ball 111 to help his team beat Madhya Pradesh and then followed it up the very next day with an unbeaten 150 in just 103 balls against Goa to help Saurashtra win by 10 wickets. He scored a 50 in a successful chase a week later against Bengal.

All these runs in the short format have come at the top of the order, showing his versatility and ability to adapt not just to two different formats but also to two different batting positions, demanding separate sets of skills. It helps that Jackson has been a reliable wicket-keeper for his team, contributing all the time, no matter whether runs flow or not. December in particular has been a good month for him, given he smashed 121 against J&K in a Ranji match at the start of the month.

Sheldon Jackson has played for India A against Bangladesh couple of years back, proof that the selectors have heard about him and are considering him as a potential wicket-keeper for the national side. But, time is running out on the 29 year old, so he has to keep at it. In a parallel world, a first class average of 50.12 with 2456 runs in 55 innings with 8 centuries and 12 half-centuries would have earned him a call-up.

Sample this simple comparison of averages of India’s best candidates for wicket-keeper position:

First Class runs

FC Average

List A Runs

LA Average

Sheldon Jackson

2456

50.12

1148

41

Wriddhiman Saha

4621

43.18

2693

42.74

Naman Ojha

8228

43.07

3441

33.08

Dinesh Karthik

8885

43.55

3805

27.57

Parthiv Patel

8003

40.62

4712

35.69

Sanju Samson

1594

36.22

944

27.76

Only Jackson has never received an international cap, with Samson jumping the pecking order to get a T20I cap. But, if Jackson piles on the runs at the rate at which he is doing, one hopes he makes it to at least the first choice XI of his IPL team and then hopefully, to a couple of India A tours.

Who knows, he might still end his career on a hurrah, before selectors decide youth should be persisted with. Some good guys, for some weird reason, always end up on the wrong side of the coin!

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Edited by Staff Editor