Grateful to Harbhajan Singh for questioning why I am not in the national team: Sheldon Jackson [Interview]

With India having no shortage of talented cricketers, playing international cricket for the country is certainly a stern task in the current era. Owing to the same, we saw the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) naming two different squads last year simultaneously. While having mighty bench strength is undoubtedly a boon for India, this problem of plenty restricts several talented lads from proving their worth in the international arena.

Sheldon Jackson is one such player who has patiently been waiting for his chances. The wicketkeeper-batter from Saurashtra has been one of the most prolific performers in India’s domestic circuit and his numbers speak volumes of his abilities. Be it playing marathon knocks in the traditional format or scoring quick runs in limited-overs cricket, Sheldon has proved his mettle in all formats.

In fact, the batter has been instrumental in Saurashtra’s success over the years. He has also done a commendable job behind the stumps. Owing to these factors, many members of cricket fraternity have been batting for his inclusion in the national team. In fact, former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh openly lashed out at national selectors last year when Sheldon was sidelined for India A tour of South Africa last year.

Here’s Harbhajan Singh’s Tweet

Ranji season 2018/19 scored 854 and 2019/2020 scored 809 and also Ranji champion that year plus this year current form👇yet not getting picked even for India A team.can 🇮🇳selector tell him what else he need to do to ply for india apart from scoring runs #shame @ShelJackson27 pic.twitter.com/HcwQDwhGsZ

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) November 9, 2021

Having scored 5634, 2346 and 1511 runs in First-Class, List-A and T20 cricket respectively, Sheldon has shown that he belongs to the highest level. He has also been patiently waiting for his chances to serve the nation. Till that happens, the 35-year-old is determined to do well in whatever opportunities comes his way.

In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Sheldon opened about many things and made some interesting revelations as well. From shredding light on his stint with KKR to his inspirational conversation with Harbhajan Singh, let’s look at how the star batter responded to our queries.

Here are the excerpts from Sheldon Jackson’s interview:

You had a brilliant Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament but runs sort of dried in the first few matches of Vijay Hazare Trophy. On what aspect of your batting you work on during this period or is it just about the mindset?

That’s the beauty of the game! You will not always be successful and you’ll not always fail. What matters is how you balance your mindset during those phases. That’s what the game teaches us. It we start being successful always, then there’s no hunger of learning more. That’s where the game is such a good leveler and the teacher.

I failed in the first few innings over there (Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021). Then I scored 60 odd runs against Hyderabad and there were few more ups and down. During that period, I spoke to a lot of great coaches like Niraj Odedra and Jaydev Shah, who have been a part of my career since my early days. To be honest, I did get a little disappointed in that period as I thought everyone’s eyes are on me and am not performing to my potential.

During these phases, it’s very easy for a team to replace you. They can say ‘this guy is in his mid 30s, let’s get a new replacement.’ However, I am very grateful to my captain (Jaydev Unadkat) and the entire team management to back me consistently.

You are one of the best players for Saurashtra. Tell us one cricketer from the team who has impressed you the most in recent times and has bright future?

I don’t think I am in a position to predict anyone’s future. As far as Saurashtra are concerned, our self-belief has been our biggest strength over the years. We never had many big names in our side, barring the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara, who are majorly busy with national commitments. However, we always had the belief of beating the best of the teams.

In the current Saurashtra team, there are three to four players who are bagged with talent. Can’t really predict if they have a bright future or not. However, they have shown their talent and backed it up with their performances. They are Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Prerak Mankad and Chiraj Jani.

KKR turned things around in the second leg of IPL 2021. What changed in the dressing room compared to the first leg?

A lot of credit must go to the coaching or the management who kept the belief in the squad even we were number seven (in the points table) in the first leg. When the second phase started, they kept the team in good space and there was a lot of team bonding. They kept the dressing room atmosphere very calm.

So, when we went there (UAE), all we could do is focus on playing good cricket and winning. All this clicked for us and we played some really good cricket and that helped us.

Venkatesh Iyer has become a sensation since his heroics for KKR in last IPL season. What do you think about him as an all-rounder?

I believe Venkatesh has a lot of abilities in terms of being an all-rounder. I am no one to judge anyone’s abilities but what I have seen, he’s very smart and he picks up on things very easily. In the second phase of IPL (2021), he showed the world that he already belongs to this level. He played a vital role in taking KKR to the finals. His fearless approach at the start of the innings shows what kind of talent he has.

Ranji Trophy is set to be played after a long gap. Any goals you have set for yourself for the season? What are your expectations from yourself in this season?

I don’t really have any personal goals. I always play to help my team win matches or save matches. I have played around 76 matches in First-Class cricket till now. So whatever experience I have gained in this time, I would like to use it and contribute to the team’s success. It could come in any way. It could be a making a 200-ball 30 or scoring some quick runs for my team.

Cricketers these days are spending a lot of time bio-bubbles. How much do you think bubble life is feasible? How tough it is to stay confined to only hotel rooms?

Bubble life is tough, there’s no second thought on that. However, you are at least getting a chance to play and generate some revenue. So, I think, looking at all these aspects, you can keep up with the bubble life because you are getting to play and that’s what matters. So, I honestly feel that the bubble life is hard but the cricket boards are doing it to protect their players. As long as you are getting to play, I feel the bubble life is fine.

Harbhajan Singh recently batted for your inclusion in the national team. Can you recall any words of wisdom from the champion off-spinner?

I am really grateful to Bhajju Pa. In these few months of IPL (2021), he has become a mentor and a elder brother to me. I am really grateful to him for questioning why I am not in the India A team. Not many legends do that. So, (these words) coming from a person of his stature speaks large volumes of what a man he is. So, I am really thankful to him for raising his voice for me.