Jalaj Saxena scripts Ranji Trophy history, becomes first player to achieve massive feat
Kerala all-rounder Jalaj Saxena became the first player to score 6000 runs and claim 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy.
Kerala all-rounder Jalaj Saxena achieved a massive feat on Wednesday and became the first player to score 6000 runs and claim 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. Jalaj has yet to make his international debut but has already achieved veteran status in Indian domestic cricket. The 37-year-old registered his name in Ranji Trophy record books in the match against Uttar Pradesh. He claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings to dismantle the UP batting line-up, and the scalp of Nitish Rana courtesy of a sharp stumping from Mohammed Azharuddeen, helped him breach the 400-wicket tally.
The off-sinner spun his web around the UP batting line-up after Kerala skipper Sachin Baby won the toss and elected to bowl first at St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram.
Saxena was four wickets short of the 400 mark when he entered the match against Uttar Pradesh and started off by claiming the wicket of Aryan Juyal (23 off 57) and then dismissed Madhav Kaushik (13 off 58), Siddharth Yadav (19 off 25) and Rana (25 off 46) to achieve the feat.
The 37-year-old became the 13th player to claim 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, and it seems like he is in no mood to stop considering his current form, as he has already claimed a couple of five-wicket hauls this season.
Jalaj Saxena - A Ranji Trophy Veteran
Jalaj started his Ranji career with Madhya Pradesh in 2025 and spent over a decade with them, scoring 4041 runs and 159 wickets. Later, in the 2016-17 season, he shifted his base to Kerala and has become a vital player for them in the past few years.
He has scored 6795 runs in his first-class career at an average of 33.97, which includes 14 hundreds and 33 fifties, while with the ball, he has picked up over 450 wickets so far.
