Jalaj Saxena eyes IPL stint as a pathway to the Indian team

Jalaj Saxena is one name that often makes the headlines in domestic cricket. The Kerala batsman has been a loyal servant of the game and has played over 100 first-class games since making his debut in 2005 but is yet to represent India. At 32, things don’t look easy for him to achieve his goal but just as cricket is a surprising game, Jalaj could be just entering a lucky phase of his life after he was picked up by a revamped Delhi franchise in the Indian Premier League for the 2019 season.

Jalaj was chosen by Delhi Capitals (formerly Daredevils) after his impressive Ranji season during which he scored 551 runs and picked 28 wickets with his off-breaks and getting the tag of an India ‘A’ player. In T20s, Jalaj is yet to prove his worth as his strike rate is below 90 in 48 games although he has a five-wicket haul in the said variant. Jalaj, however, made it to the squad of a top franchise like Mumbai Indians seasons ago but did not get a single game. The Capitals bought him at the base price of Rs 20 lakh in the last auction in December.

The man recently spoke with Sportstar on his domestic career spanning almost a decade and half now besides issues like making a new break in the IPL. When asked what has kept him motivated to play for so many years when the fact is that he hasn’t made it to the India squad despite playing for almost 14 years now, Jalaj said it is the dream of playing for his country.

‘Am sure will play for country’

“That keeps me going. I still have a firm belief that I will play for India, and IPL is a great platform. It is a good opportunity, especially after my India A stint. If I do well here, I am sure I will play for the country. I have changed my state [Madhya Pradesh to Kerala], I have got BCCI awards but I have never lost my focus, though I wasn’t getting chances,” he said.

Jalaj also said that playing for India ‘A’ brings positive changes in one who aspires to play for the nation and called it a ‘very good platform to start with’.

[interaction id=”5c7f7421f115e010bfe0fc07″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.