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'I heard them saying I'm a frustrated cricketer': Veteran Indian batter lambasts selectors for 'inexplicable' rejection
Despite being a regular performer in domestic cricket, the right-hander did not find his name in the squad for three red-ball matches against New Zealand.
Veteran Saurashtra batter Sheldon Jackson started trending barely a couple of hours after the India A squad for the New Zealand series was announced. The reason was his no-nonsense straight from heart tweet slamming the selectors. Despite being a regular performer in domestic cricket, the right-hander did not find his name in the squad for three red-ball matches against New Zealand.
Jackson did not stop with that tweet, in an interview with Sportstar, he opened up further with his words getting stronger and the criticism sterner. "Many times I have heard that he is a frustrated cricketer who is venting out his angst. I am a very happy cricketer and a happy person who has a loving family to go back to. I enjoy my life and I feel asking questions for which we don’t get answers is justified as a professional. That doesn’t have anything to do with my space of mind," he said.
Jackson, who averages more than 50 in first-class cricket and plies his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, lambasted the selectors for not considering him even for the West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy.
"If I am thinking of playing for the country and I am not even picked for the Duleep Trophy because someone feels I am too old, how am I going to reach over there? I was expecting to get picked for India A. There’s nothing wrong in expecting it, and you don’t pick me for Duleep Trophy is inexplicable. As a professional, you always strive to upgrade yourself to a higher level. It’s demoralising when it’s stalled for reasons beyond my control," Jackson said.
The 35-year-old said one-fourth of the domestic cricketers, who are in their thirties currently, would be shattered to hear that they won't be considered for selection just because of their age.
"Why is age even a criteria to get picked? If it is, they are taking away the dreams of at least 25 to 30 per cent of domestic cricketers who are in their mid-30s. I am not being the voice for them but I am speaking myself. You cannot stop someone from dreaming of playing at a higher level. I have been advocating this for quite a long time now.
"Now when I am 35, I am being tagged as old but I have been hearing this since I was 31. Now they have picked more than six who are older than 30, so how is it justified then? Back then, I was told no one above 30 was picked. But when a performer is picked for the country in his mid-30s based on his performance, why isn’t it adopted for domestic cricket? I think it’s just become a ploy to not pick someone. When you don’t really have any other reason, you cite his age," he added.
