The Indian domestic cricket circuit has a long and good history. It may have lagged behind the IPL in terms of popularity, but the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments still form the backbone of Indian cricket. Players like Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer, an integral part of the Indian international set-up, are the product of an impressive domestic cricket circuit. However, there are some players who, despite performing well in these tournaments, are still waiting to be selected in the Indian team. One such player is Saurashtra’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sheldon Jackson.
35-year-old Sheldon Jackson recently played IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. He is waiting to be selected in Team India despite scoring 5947 runs in 79 first-class matches at an impressive average of 50.39. Jackson’s absence has also been a topic of discussion in the past. Harbhajan Singh, the former spinner of the Indian cricket team, has expressed his surprise many times over being sidelined several times. Despite being successful in the domestic circuit like Jalaj Saxena, Akshay Wakhare, Sheldon Jackson is yet to fulfill his dream of playing for India. Jackson’s case is even more peculiar, as he is a fine wicket-keeper batsman but has always been ignored by the selectors. Jackson himself is also very upset with the selectors. He has made some interesting revelations.
In a conversation with SportsKrida, Jackson said, ‘To be honest, this has not happened only this year, it has been happening since the beginning. the number of runs and the rate at which I have scored them; I don’t think many people in the country have such a thing. If you play 75 matches and score around 6000 runs, it shows what I have achieved through hard work.
“There has been no communication on why I was not selected. Once when I asked someone what else I needed to do, I was told I was old. He told me that we are not choosing anyone above 30. But a year later, he chose someone around 32-33 years old. I was very vocal that is there any law that once you are above 30, 35 or 40 you cannot be selected? So why don’t you go by the law?’
Apart from impressive first-class figures, Sheldon Jackson is also not far behind in List A matches. He has scored 2346 runs in 67 matches at an average of 37.33. This includes 8 centuries and 12 fifties. He has scored 1534 runs in T20 cricket at an average of 27.39 in 70 matches. This includes his one century and 10 half-centuries. Jackson was never included in the Indian team in any format.
At this point in his career, Jackson understands that while the wait may be tough, it’s what drives him to give his best. ‘It’s very difficult because year after year, you’ve been working hard,’ Jackson underlined. Indian domestic cricket is so difficult to be consistent, doing well there year after year. But it is an inspiration to me. The more I don’t get picked, the more determined I become to do it again. Not to prove people, but to prove that I still have hunger.
Sheldon Jackson says, ‘I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, because I have done so for a long time. I have the best batting coach and the best trainer in the country. They keep inspiring me to say ‘Let’s see another year.’ That’s what I tell you, ‘Let’s see another year.’