Jalaj Saxena considered among best contemporary all-rounders to not play for India
Salil Ankola expressed surprise at Saxena's non-selection
Chetan Sharma reminded him of their national selector roles in past
Why Has Jalaj Saxena Never Played For India? Former National Selectors Express 'Surprise' On Air
Former India cricketers and Salil Ankola and Chetan Sharma were commentating on the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 match between Maharashtra and Kerala when they made the observation about Jalaj Saxena, despite being national selectors themselves during his peak
Summary
Selection in Indian cricket is perennially at the centre of controversy. Be it Mohammed Shami's snub from the Australia tour and the pacer's rejoinder or Kris Srikkanth's brickbats towards coach Gautam Gambhir for Harshit Rana's inclusion, it's impossible to pick a unanimously approved squad.
But some decisions continue to rankle supporters over time, and the incessant omission of Jalaj Saxena from the Indian team is one such call. The all-rounder is a proven performer in domestic cricket, and despite his consistent toil, is yet to get a look in.
The matter took an ironic turn on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) during Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Elite Group B opener against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram. Saxena came in to bat with Maharashtra's score reading a dismal 18 for five, and the two on-air commentators at the time were Salil Ankola and Chetan Sharma.
Ankola and Sharma are both former India players, and former national selectors at that. Ankola exclaimed on air that it was "very surprising" that Saxena had never played for India.
Sharma soon responded, "Salil, you used one word 'very surprising', but let me tell you, we were both former selectors." Ankola quipped back, "And you were the chairman!" Chetan ended the conversation by saying, "Fingers must've been raised at you (us) as well."
It was perhaps said in a lighter vein, but the exchange ignited an internet fire, with users pointing out that Ankola and Sharma had been part of selection panels between 2020 and 2024, which is when which Saxena endured a purple patch without reward in terms of a national call-up. In fact, Sharma was chairman across two stints in that period.
Jalaj Saxena's First-Class Exploits
No cricketer has scalped more Ranji Trophy wickets than Saxena since his first-class debut in December 2005. In the 2024-25 season, he became the first player to score 6,000 runs and take 400 wickets in the tournament's history.
Advertisement
Over his whole first-class career, Saxena has amassed 7,081 runs with 14 centuries and claimed 484 wickets, including 34 five-wicket hauls, at an average of 25.49.
After almost two decades with Kerala, Saxena has switched to the Maharashtra Ranji team this season.
Published At:
Tags