In hindsight, it’s 20-20 and much more for Goa’s ace bowler Shadab Jakati

Panaji: Not everyone gets to play first class

cricket

for 20 years but then Shadab Jakati is not just anyone.

He is Goa’s record wicket taker. And at 268 wickets from 89 matches, he is the standout bowler. In fact, he is the only Goan cricketer to cross 200 wickets. He has grabbed five wickets in an innings a record 12 times and had 10-wicket hauls in a match three times.

At 37, it would seem he has left his best far behind, but just last season he snatched eight wickets against Andhra Pradesh in an innings and finished the Ranji Trophy season with 41 wickets in his kitty. Only two other bowlers -- S Nadeem (Jharkhand) and AA Sanklecha (Maharashtra) – had done better than the off-spinner from Vasco.

“Twenty years is a long time but to me it seems just like yesterday. I’m proud of my journey but there are many more miles to go,” the left-arm spinner told TOI.

On Friday, when Jakati follows his captain Sagun Kamat on to the field for the opening Ranji Trophy clash against

Chhattisgarh

, he would be 20th season of first class cricket. Non-stop. It’s a remarkable achievement for someone who played cricket just for fun and watched in awe as he made his debut against former champions Karnataka at the Panjim Gymkhana ground.

“I was only 17 and doing fairly well on the under-19 circuit when I got this Ranji Trophy chance. For any state cricketer, it’s a dream to play at that level and my debut came against powerhouse Karnataka,” explained Jakati.

Despite being overwhelmed by the occasion, Jakati managed two wickets, including the one of J Arunkumar, who eventually coached Karnataka to domestic trebles (Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Jakati’s fame has extended well beyond Goan shores, thanks notably to the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 and his exploits with champions Chennai Super Kings. He is still in the IPL mix with Gujarat Lions, although his powers are fast diminishing.

With so much of competition, how much time does he give himself at the top?

“I am working hard on my fitness. I still feel there is a 17 year old within me. Age is only a number. As long as I am enjoying the game, which I do at this moment, there is no reason to stop,” said Jakati, thanking his parents, coaches Nitin Vernekar, Chandrakant Chede and PE teacher ‘Mathapathy Sir’ for making him the player and person that he is.

It’s not always been smooth sailing for Jakati. He was dropped on some occasions from the team due to poor form but always bounced back. In 2011 when he, at his peak, was nursing a finger injury, he missed the Ranji Trophy campaign but quite notably came back to play the one-dayers. Giving any season a miss during the last 20 years has never been an option.

“Things have changed quite a lot. When I started out, wickets were different. Now, there are results, the atmosphere is changing constantly and the game has become more attacking with plenty of aggression. There is healthy competition too and it’s all the more challenging,” he said.

Despite the fierce competition, Jakati has remained the only constant in the Goan squad. There are others like Sagun Kamat and Swapnil Asnodkar who joined him a couple of years later and are still going strong, but in a field of equals, Jakati leads the queue