Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has hit out at the selectors asking if the Ranji Trophy has become irrelevant, with the likes of Jalaj Saxena not being able to break through the Indian team in 19 years of playing in the domestic tournament. The veteran India allrounder didn't even make it into the India A side, which is currently in dire straits against Australia A in Melbourne.
Harbhajan's reaction came after journalist Vijay Lokapally tweeted about Saxena's unique record of being the only player to have 400 wickets and 6000 runs to his name in the Ranji Trophy's coveted history across decades.
The 37-year-old Saxena has been a consistent performer for his domestic sides and currently plying his trade for Kerala and recently scored 84 runs in their match against Bengal.
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"400 wickets and 6000 runs for @jalajsaxena33 in the Ranji Trophy. The first man to achieve the feat in India's national tournament," Lokapally tweeted.
400 wickets and 6000 runs for @jalajsaxena33 in the Ranji Trophy. The first man to achieve the feat in India’s national tournament. But still not good enough to play for India. Hard to comprehend. A champion and consistent performer. What more should he do?Pic: Sportstar.. pic.twitter.com/bnBArC3ZM9
— Vijay Lokapally 🇮🇳 (@vijaylokapally) November 7, 2024
In his tweet, Lokapally wondered how with such a unique feat to his name, Saxena is still not good enough to play for India. Calling him a consistent and champion performer, the journalist asked what he needed to do more to break into the national team.
“Agree with you. He should be considered at least for India A. Useless of playing Ranji now? People are getting picked from IPL," Harbhajan replied.
Agree with you . He should be considered at least for India A. Useless of playing Ranji now ? people are getting picked from IPL. https://t.co/ejMzYxj5jS
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) November 8, 2024
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Saxena made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2005 in a Ranji Trophy game against Kerala. Although he couldn't do anything considerable on debut, he currently has 6795 runs from 143 matches with 14 hundreds to his name.
Saxena has also picked 452 wickets in those matches at an impressive economy of 2.74. He has also played one match for the Punjab Kings and three matches for the Mumbai Indians in the Champions League.