At St. Xavier’s College Ground in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and Bengal are engaged in a fierce match for the Ranji Trophy 2024. Following Sanju Samson’s decision to bat against Bengal, Kerala was down 112-4 when Akshay Chandran (106) and Sachin Baby (124) combined for a fifth-wicket stand of 179 runs. After scoring 4-73 and 3-84 on the second day, Bengal’s Shahbaz Ahmed and Ankit Mishra bowled Kerala out for 363.
Right-arm medium bowler MD Nidheesh of Kerala removed Bengal opener Ranjot Singh Khaira, earning a wicket for the team. But before Jalaj Saxena set the batsmen off, Bengal reached 107 with 72 from Abhimanyu Easwaran. On the second day, Jalaj Saxena had Bengal batting at 172-8 at stumps, and by the next morning, he had bowled them out for 180. With the final nine wickets taken, the 37-year-old veteran set a career-best bowling average of 9-68 in first-class cricket.
Prior to this, Jalaj Saxena’s best was 8-36 against Services during the previous domestic season.
Furthermore, the Indore-born spinner’s nine-wicket haul against Bengal is a record for anyone. Manohar Hardikar, a bowler from Bombay, held the previous record, taking 8-39 in Calcutta during the 1955–1956 season. Amarjith Singh’s 9-45 against Andhra in 1971–72 is the only other nine-wicket haul by a bowler in Kerala’s roster, and it continues to stand as the team’s finest stint.
Having amassed over 6,500 runs so far, Saxena—a powerful player in the Indian domestic circuit—is rapidly approaching the 450-wicket threshold in the Ranji Trophy. Saxena also made Ranji Trophy history by being the second bowler to collect nine wickets in an inning this decade. Jotin Pheiroijam Singh, a rookie, had 9-69 stats the season before. Since 2020, Ajaz Patel’s 10-119 against New Zealand at Mumbai’s storied Wankhede Stadium has unquestionably been the best first-class innings in Indian cricket.
In reference to the game, Kerala then made their declaration at 265 with a 449-run goal. Bengal needs 372 runs in 75.2 overs after reaching 77/2 at the end of the third day of play.
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