BCCI selectors mock themselves on-air over Jalaj Saxena’s India omission during Ranji Trophy

Former Indian selectors Salil Ankola and Chetan Sharma expressed surprise at domestic cricket legend Jalaj Saxena’s continued exclusion from the national team. During a live broadcast, Salil and Chetan, who had served as selectors, faced backlash from cricket fans after their comments went viral on social media.

Saxena is one of domestic cricket’s top performers, yet he has never earned a call-up to the Indian national team. The all-rounder has amassed over 6,000 runs and taken more than 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. This season, Saxena switched from Kerala to Maharashtra and made an impact in the first match.

Salil Ankola and Chetan Sharma Mock Themselves Over Jalaj Saxena’s India Omission

During the Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Maharashtra on October 15 at Greenfield Stadium, Jalaj Saxena came in to bat at number seven with Maharashtra in serious trouble at 18/5. Notably, four of their top five batsmen were dismissed without scoring.

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Saxena’s impressive career statistics were displayed on the broadcast, and Salil Ankola and Chetan Sharma drew attention with their on-air discussion. Ankola expressed surprise that Saxena had never played for India, while Sharma reminded him that both had served as selectors.

"Very surprising that Saxena had never played for India," Ankola commented during the live broadcast. "Salil, you used one word 'very surprising', but let me tell you, we were both former selectors," Chetan responded with a laugh.

"And you were the chairman!" Ankola pointed out. "Fingers must've been raised at us as well," Chetan concluded.

When they showed Jalaj Saxena's domestic stats one commentator said he has such great stats but it's surprising that he hasn't played for India and the other commentator replied

"Surprisingly" both of us were the selectors and you were the chairman. pic.twitter.com/QvtzZEbWkG https://t.co/q8kHY6rkkv

— Aditya Soni (@imAdsoni) October 15, 2025

Jalaj Saxena Falls Short of 35th First-Class Half-Century

Jalaj Saxena played a key role with the bat as Maharashtra recovered from a difficult position against Kerala. Saxena scored 49 runs to help the team reach 179/7 in 59 overs on Wednesday. He and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made a well-paced 91, added a crucial 122-run partnership for the sixth wicket in the first innings.

Saxena narrowly missed his 35th first-class fifty, being dismissed leg before by Kerala pacer M D Nidheesh, who finished with 4/42. Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings captain in the IPL, anchored the innings before falling to young pacer Eden Apple Tom. Bad light brought an early end to the day’s play.

For those unversed, Chetan Sharma served as the chairman of India’s selection committee from 2020 to 2023, while Salil Ankola was a member from January 2023 to August 2024.

Jalaj Saxena - A domestic cricket great

Jalaj Saxena began his domestic career with Madhya Pradesh in 2005-06 before moving to Kerala in 2016-17, where he played until the 2024-25 season.

During his time with Kerala, he scored 3,153 runs and took 352 wickets across formats, including 2,252 first-class runs with three centuries and 269 wickets at an average of 20.68, with 23 five-wicket hauls.

Saxena has scored over 7,000 runs in first-class cricket with 14 centuries and taken 484 wickets, including 34 five-wicket hauls, at an average of 25.48. However, he has never represented India, due to the presence of spin all-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel.

Saxena recently joined Maharashtra, who finished fifth in Elite Group A during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. They had recorded two wins, two draws, and three losses in seven matches.

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