All-rounder Jalaj Saxena heartbroken after India A snub

Jalaj Saxena was a notable omission from India A’s squad for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka and away series against West Indies. India A will host Sri Lanka A side for two unofficial Tests and five One-Day games, starting on May 25 (Saturday). The series will be played in two venues in Belagavi and Hubli. Following the series against Sri Lanka, the team will travel to West Indies. India A will play three four-day matches and five one-day matches.

As usual, the series will be an opportunity for the fringe players to impress the selectors in order to get a call for the senior team. However, Jalaj’s cruel tryst with destiny has continued. A prominent name in India’s domestic circuit, Jalaj was a surprising omission from the list. He was a part of India A’s last assignment which was the home series against England Lions. It was his first call into an India A squad for the first time since 2013.

Jalaj had an impressive outing against England Lions. In two unofficial Tests, he picked up seven wickets in addition to scoring an unbeaten 28 in the first game. However, it was not enough to impress the selectors as they dropped him again. It was a harsh blow for a player who is one of the most consistent players in the domestic circuit for quite a number of years now. Jalaj averages 44.00 with the bat and 20.41 with the ball over his last two first-class seasons, with 73 wickets in 17 matches.

Unsurprisingly, he was heartbroken with the snub and took to Twitter to express his disappointment. The Kerala allrounder cursed his fate as he wrote:

“What have I done so terribly wrong, to deserve this?”

India A squads

Meanwhile, the selectors have rewarded the players for their performance in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). Shreyas Gopal, who was impressive in pink outfits for Rajasthan Royals this IPL season, earned his maiden India A call-up alongside Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar. Shubman Gill, who was the emerging player of this year’s IPL, has also made it to the team for the Sri Lanka series.

For the West Indies tour, the likes of Wriddhiman Saha, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and other big names have been included in the squads.

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