The off-spinner achieved this spectacular feat on Day 1 by dismissing Nitish Rana.
Indian home cricket veteran Jalaj Saxena made historical past in the course of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 conflict between Kerala and Uttar Pradesh (UP) on the St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, November 6.
The seasoned all-rounder showcased his distinctive expertise with the ball after Kerala captain Sachin gained the toss and elected to bowl first. Saxena dominated the UP batting lineup, claiming his twenty ninth five-wicket haul within the match. The 37-year-old completed with spectacular figures of 5-56 because the guests had been dismissed for a mere whole of 162. Saxena’s victims included Aryan Juyal, Madhav Kaushik, Nitish Rana, Siddarth Yadav, and Piyush Chawla.
Saxena’s dismissal of Rana marked a major milestone as he reached 400 wickets within the Ranji Trophy, changing into the thirteenth bowler to achieve this feat. Just final week, he surpassed 6,000 runs within the competitors throughout Kerala’s match in opposition to Karnataka in Alur. With this exceptional achievement, Saxena has change into the first participant within the 90-year historical past of the Ranji Trophy to achieve the double of 400 wickets and 6,000 runs. Additionally, final 12 months, Saxena grew to become solely the fourth Indian participant to file 9,000 runs and 400 wickets throughout codecs in home cricket, following within the footsteps of Vinoo Mankad, Madan Lal, and Parveez Rasool.
Saxena is broadly thought to be probably the most proficient gamers within the historical past of Indian home cricket who has by no means had the chance to characterize the nationwide staff. He started his first-class profession in the course of the 2005-06 season of the Ranji Trophy, showcasing his expertise whereas enjoying for his residence state of Madhya Pradesh till 2016, when he made the transfer to Kerala.
Throughout his profession, Saxena has had the privilege of being part of prestigious groups such because the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2013 and 2014, in addition to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2015. Despite these alternatives, he was unable to make his debut within the Indian Premier League (IPL) till he featured in three Champions League T20 matches for MI in 2014.
In 2019, Saxena was acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the course of the public sale, however sadly, he spent most of his time on the bench earlier than being launched prior to the 2020 season. It wasn’t till 2021 when he was signed by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) that he lastly made his IPL debut.
Saxena’s first IPL look got here in a match in opposition to the Delhi Capitals, the place he didn’t have the prospect to bat. Despite bowling three overs and conceding 27 runs with out taking a wicket, this match stays his solely IPL look to date.
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