Did this Indian wicketkeeper just take a dig at Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav?
Rohit Sharma: (Image Source: Twitter)
Saurashtra batter, Sheldon Jackson, recently, got the opportunity to be part of the playing XI for the Kolkata franchise in the Indian T20 League 2022. He got to play 4 matches but couldn’t impress in those outings. In 4 matches, he only managed to score 23 runs at 5.75.
His numbers, though, don’t justify his talent. The 35-year-old batter should have been given more opportunity than he had, over the years. Sheldon Jackson is a prolific run-scorer in the domestic cricket circuit. His numbers in domestic cricket speak for themselves. In 79 first-class matches, he has managed to score 5946 runs at an average of 50.4 Besides, he has 2346 runs in 67 List-A matches at 37.2.
Despite all the years of hard work, India’s wicket-keeper batter never got the opportunity to play for India. Several cricket experts in the past have expressed disappointment for not giving him the opportunity.
In a recent interview with Sheldon Jackson, the 35-year-old himself spoke his heart out while expressing his disappointment over not getting picked for the Indian team.
“To be honest, this has not happened just this year, it has been happening since the beginning. The amount of runs and the rate at which I got them; I don’t think many in the country have. If you see 75 matches and around 6000 runs, that shows what I have achieved through my hard work,” he told SportsKeeda.
“There has been no communication (on why I was not picked) but once I asked someone what more I need to do, I was told I am old. They told me that above 30, we are not picking anyone. But ultimately, after a year, they picked someone who was around 32-33. I was very vocal that is there any law that once you’re above 30, 35 or even 40 you cannot get picked? Then why don’t you come out with a law itself?”
Notably, the selectors picked Rohit Sharma as Test opener in 2019 and also picked Suryakumar Yadav in the Test team in 2021.
