"Not giving up hopes of representing India until I quit playing": Jalaj Saxena continues to knock on selectors' doors

A couple of years ago, I was excited about a movie that released in my regional language - because it revolved around cricket and told the story of a cricketer who faced a lot of hurdles in getting into the Indian team. In the climax, the actor who portrayed the cricketer's role pointed out that a lot of talents are being ignored during national team selection due to various reasons, and urged the board to telecast the selection meetings live on television channels.

When this scene was being played on the 70mm screen, the names of a few cricketers including the likes of Amol Mazumdar, Sridharan Sharath, Yere Goud, Shitanshu Kotak etc. came to my mind. One more name that came to my mind was that of all-rounder Jalaj Saxena; but unlike the previous names who can't make it to the national team, Jalaj still has a chance of realizing his dream.

Until I hang up my boots, I can't say 'Okay, I haven't played for India.'

It has been 12 years since Jalaj made his first-class debut as an 18-year-old for Madhya Pradesh. He has been a consistent performer all these years but still hasn't gotten any recognition from the Indian fans or the selectors. However, he is still confident that he will represent India one day, and he is not ready to give up on his dream until he hangs up his boots.

"My dream is to play for India. Until I hang up my boots, I can't say 'Okay, I haven't played for India.' I am still trying for it and I am sure that with God's grace, one day I will play for India. I am working hard. I don't know whether I deserve it or not but I am hopeful that one day I will play for the national team.

"Selection is not something that is in my hand. So, I don't want to think too much about that and what I can do is improve my skill and give my best shot to play for India. My job is to play cricket, perform for my team and that is what I have been doing all this while. I am more focused towards working on my cricketing skill," Jalaj said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

However, getting into the Indian team will be a Herculean task for the 30-year-old as he's up against the likes of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have the ability to deliver with both bat and ball.

Even the team's third spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, is a decent bet with the bat. Apart from these names, there are guys like Axar Patel, who is a part of the Indian limited-overs side, teenage sensation Washington Sundar, Karnataka's Krishnappa Gowtham, one of the finds of the IPL, and Krunal Pandya.

To get a national call-up ahead of the names mentioned above, Jalaj has to do something special, something different from what he has been doing at the moment. But the player himself is not worried about his competitors as he feels his only competition is himself.

Talking about the competition, he admitted, "I don't look at others. I just want to concentrate on my performance and how to improve myself as a player. I take myself as the competition. I am performing well now. I should perform better next year. That's how I look at things and I feel that if you do well, ultimately you will get your chances. So I don't look at what others do. I just concentrate on what I do."

Who is Jalaj Saxena, and what makes him so special?

Not many would have heard his name previously as he is hardly ever in the reckoning in spite of performing consistently in the Indian domestic circuit. Jalaj made his debut for Madhya Pradesh against Kerala in 2005, just two days after turning 19. Since then, he has played 98 first-class games for Madhya Pradesh and the team which he made his debut against, Kerala, as he moved to the South Indian state a couple of seasons back.

Not often do you see an India all-rounder who can contribute equally with both bat and ball, a breed that is on the verge of getting extinct in Indian cricket. Jalaj belongs to that breed as he is someone who is handy with the bat too. When asked about the art he is better at, his tone changed and he refused to pick one, instead pointing out that he is fortunate enough to have both the skills - something that not many cricketers possess.

Jalaj Saxena, the batsman,in action

"To be very honest, I don't like to classify myself as a batting all-rounder or a bowling all-rounder. I am really fortunate that God has given me two skills. Not everybody can become an allrounder. Whenever I bowl, I consider myself as the team's main bowler and in batting, I open the batting for my team. I don't categorize myself as just one of the two," he added.

Let us take a look at his first-class numbers.

He averages 38 with the bat in the 157 innings he has played, amassing 5,378 runs with a best score of 194. Bowling his off-spinners, he has scalped 256 wickets in 98 matches at an average of 28, striking once every 10 overs. In limited-overs cricket, his bowling numbers are much better than his batting numbers because of the fact that he bats lower down the order in the format while he opens the batting in first-class games.

Another interesting thing about Jalaj is that he hails from a family that has a sporting background. His father was a swimmer and his elder brother Jatin Saxena played domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh. And just like Jalaj, Jatin switched loyalties, eventually moving to Chhattisgarh. In fact, his brother, who is also a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar, is the reason why Jalaj started playing cricket.

And when it came to taking the cricketing route, his family was supportive as Jalaj's father, just like any other sportsperson, wanted his son to excel at sports, even coaching him in his younger days.

"I was very young when I started playing cricket. My elder brother used to play cricket and my father was also a sportsperson, a swimmer. He used to work in Bhilai Steel plant and there, my brother used to play cricket. I was often bored and used to give my brother company by playing with him. That's how I started playing cricket.

"My family was very supportive when it came to playing cricket. Since my father was a sportsperson, he supported me. Like any other sportsman, he too wanted his kids to engage in sports. And he coached me in my initial days when I used to bowl medium pace, before becoming an offie," Jalaj said about how he started playing cricket.

Switch to Kerala was a big risk

It's easy to wonder what his motive was behind leaving Madhya Pradesh and moving to Kerala, considering he did so well at the former team. The all-rounder, who is set to turn 31 in the next few days, admitted that it was a big risk for him when he made the switch as he feared that his career might go either way.

Jalaj celebrates after scoring a century for Kerala

But he went ahead with the move anyway, the motive being to make a small (plate league) team qualify for the knockouts, thereby gaining more recognition himself. As Jalaj would have hoped for, that ended up becoming a reality, as Kerala made it to the quarter-final for the first time in their history.

"I was performing well over the last few seasons. So I thought that if I went to a small team, performed well and made them qualify for the quarter-finals, my performances would be recognised more.

"It was a challenge for me to take a small team to higher levels. It was a big risk for me, moving to Kerala. Now, it is amazing that what I dreamt of became a reality. I was constantly motivating myself to repeat my performances for another team. Personally, it gives me a lot of pleasure and I feel really good for the team for making it to the quarters for the first time," he conceded.

Jalaj had a big role to play in Kerala making history as he starred with both bat and ball. After the league stages, Jalaj is the leading wicket-taker this season, having taken 38 wickets in six matches at an average of just over 15 and a strike-rate of 33.

Adding to this, he is one of the two batsmen, the other being Sanju Samson, to have scored 400 runs this season, with 482 runs in 11 innings at an average of over 60 - the most for his side. No wonder he is happy at having made the move to Kerala.

Shifting to a new team is always difficult for anyone, irrespective of the sport. But Jalaj felt that the management treated him well and made him feel like he was playing for his own state. He said, "The Kerala officials treated me like I was one of their own. I didn't face any difficulties. They are all professional and they know how to treat everyone in the team. In fact, I feel like I am playing for my own state."

He also praised his teammates and coach, Dav Whatmore, for their role in the side reaching the knockouts. "They had the potential to play on the big stage. It is just about performing at the right time. When the crunch moment comes, you should be able to perform well. That is exactly what is happening with the side. Dav Whatmore is a thorough professional. His working style is very different. He makes sure that we prepare extensively for a match. He is someone who focusses more on the preparation part, than any other thing," he said.

He thanked the fans for motivating the team during matches and emphasised the purpose of playing in the home and away format, admitting that there was more recognition, both from the fans and the media, this season. He also pointed out how flawed the neutral venue concept was as his team didn't get any net bowlers last season, something that doesn't happen when the team play at home or away.

"I feel that home and away matches are better than the matches that take place in neutral venues. Yes, we are not big stars, we are not international players but whenever we play in Kerala, people there know us and they come to watch us play. The 100 odd people who turn up give us more recognition. The home crowd are there to support us there is media coverage. At the end of the day, we play to make the fans happy.

"Last time, we played at neutral venues. So, no one welcomed us like they would have had we been at home. We did not get proper preparation and could not avail the services of net bowlers," he emphasised.

Time to resurrect his IPL career

Jalaj Saxena with the Mumbai Indians team that won the 2013 IPL

The IPL is one of the most obvious gateways to make it to the national team. There have been many instances of players earning national team call-ups just by performing well in the extravaganza.

Jalaj was a part of two of the biggest IPL sides in the past, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the three-time champions Mumbai Indians. In fact, he was a part of the Mumbai Indians side that went on to win the tournament in 2013, before moving to the Virat Kohli-led side in 2015.

He played one match for Mumbai in the 2014 Champions League T20, but didn't play a single game in the IPL and decided to move out of the country and play in the Dhaka Premier League, where he represents 'Legends of Rupganj'.

"I didn't spend much time with them (overseas professionals) because I didn't get to play the matches. But, those experiences were very important for me. It helped me grow as a player. I still feel that if I had gotten chances in those matches, it would have been better for me as an individual to perform well and showcase my skill on a bigger stage. That's why I went to play in the Dhaka Premier League where my brother is also playing," he added.

The BCCI has a policy of not allowing their cricketers to take part in overseas cricket tournaments. Last year, the BCCI gave Yusuf Pathan an NoC to take part in a T20 competition in Hong Kong and later canceled it after Dinesh Karthik applied for the same. But for some reason, they allow the players to take part in the Dhaka Premier League.

When asked about whether the board should allow the players to participate in overseas leagues, he said, "I can't comment on the BCCI's rules and regulations but I can say that it was good exposure for me. It was a good learning experience for me."

Currently, Jalaj is preparing to play for Kerala in their quarter-final game against Bengal. If his side somehow end up on the winning side, the semi-final will be his 100th first-class match.

A notable performance in the knockouts could put him in the reckoning for national selection.

The game of cricket has seen a lot of late bloomers who made their international debuts very late and still managed to play a big role in their team's success. The only thing Jalaj has to do is not lose hope and keep performing consistently. If he continues his golden run, nothing can stop him from realising his childhood dream.

Will Jalaj Saxena go the Mike Hussey way and make his international debut quite late in his career, or will he join the likes of Muzumdar, Sharath, Goud, Kotak etc.? Only time will tell.