Jalaj Saxena, one of the most consistent allrounders in domestic cricket in the last one-and-a-half decades, has not lost hope yet on earning the India cap.
Approaching his 33rd birthday, Jalaj, who returned his maiden List-A fiver (seven for 41 against India-A) to record the best-ever figures in Deodhar Trophy and followed it up with an impressive two for 25 against India-B here, said his consistency inspired him to keep playing.
“If I am performing well, frustration is not there. Four-five years back I used to get frustrated (for not getting the India cap). Those around me told me to enjoy my performance. Selection is not in my hands. My job is to play cricket and that is what I am doing.
“The motivation always is to play for India. With this hope I wake up every morning,” said Jalaj, playing for India-C.
Brother’s support
Jalaj, who played for Madhya Pradesh and then switched to Kerala, acknowledged the backing of his family members, including his elder brother Jatin (who has played for MP and Chhattisgarh). “I got a lot of support from my brother, learnt a lot from him.”
Jalaj — who has scored 6153 runs and taken 307 wickets in 115 First Class matches, 1847 runs and 105 wickets in 91 List-A and 585 runs and 41 wickets in 48 T20s — always looked to get better.
“My hard work off the field gets translated into performance on the field. I need to improve my game every year, every season. In the last six-seven years I have developed mentally. Yoga has been a big help.”
On his pursuit of excellence, Jalaj has become a better bowler. “Every year one needs to learn something new and add something. Otherwise, one will lag behind… variations are important but one must understand how effective will be the stock delivery.
“If my stock delivery, which is off-spin, is effective, then only my variations will work. I am trying some variations — carrom ball, googly and leg-spin,” he said.
Jalaj said he was not fussy about batting positions. “I try to perform in whichever situation or position I get. For India-A, I have batted at No. 7.
“In Ranji Trophy, I open and also bat at No. 6 or 7. Being a professional you have to adjust to these things,” Jalaj signed off with a smile.
