Jalaj Saxena becomes first player to achieve double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets in Ranji Trophy

Kerala's veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena has registered his name in history books by becoming the first player to achieve the extraordinary double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets in the prestigious Ranji Trophy tournament.

The 37-year-old crossed the 6000-run milestone last week in Kolkata with a crucial innings of 84, when Kerala was struggling at 83 for 6 against Bengal. He followed this achievement by claiming his 400th Ranji Trophy wicket, in the ongoing match against Uttar Pradesh in Thumba, dismissing the dangerous Nitish Rana through a stumping.

Currently positioned joint-12th alongside Bengal's Utpal Chatterjee on the all-time Ranji Trophy wicket-takers list, Saxena's recent performance could make him climb as high as seventh place this season.

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Kerala bundle Uttar Pradesh for 162 in the first innings

In the game against Uttar Pradesh, Saxena picked a five-wicket haul in the first innings, making it the 29th of his first-class career, and helped Kerala hold a strong position in the game.

His victims included key batters Aryan Juyal (23), Madhav Kaushik (13), Nitish Rana (25), Siddharth Yadav (19), and Piyush Chawla (10), finishing with impressive figures of 5/56 in 17 overs. His performance was crucial in restricting Uttar Pradesh to 162, with support from pacers Basil Thampi (2 wickets) and Asif K M (1 wicket).

Meanwhile, after securing a home victory against Punjab, Kerala drew their next two matches against Karnataka and Bengal, both affected by adverse weather conditions. The side currently finds itself at the second position of the Group C table with 8 points.