Madhya Pradesh’s Jalaj Saxena entered the record books as he claimed 16 for 154 against Railways in a round-six game of the Ranji Trophy. Saxena became the third player in the history of Ranji Trophy to pick 16 wickets in a match. Anil Kumble (16 for 99 for Karnataka against Kerala in 1995) and P Sunderam (16 for 154 for Rajasthan against Vidarbha in 1985) are the other two bowlers to achieve the feat.
Saxena’s bowling exploits helped MP seal a nine-wicket win over Railways inside three days. The off-spin all-rounder claimed 8 for 96 in the first innings and returned to demolish the Railways batting for 131 in 51.1 overs with second innings figures of 8 for 58.
It was a low-scoring game at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior as none of the teams could get past 280. The Railways batsmen struggled against Saxena, especially in the second innings, as not a single one of them could breach the 30-run mark.
After having an excellent game with the ball, Saxena chipped in with the bat, remaining not-out on 47 as MP chased down Railways’s target of 112 in 19.1 overs with the loss of Rajat Patidar (40). The two openers put up a stand of 72 runs in 12.3 overs to earn a handsome win for their team.
