RAJKOT: Be it playing cricket or talking about it,
Sheldon Jackson does it with flair and flamboyance. The
Saurashtra
batsman has been a dominant force in the domestic circuit in the last few years, but while he has earned the respect and managed to instill threat in the opponents, Jackson has failed to stir national
selectors
to action. Like umpteenth times this season, carrying the burden of taking Saurashtra's ship to the shore has again landed on the brawny 33-year-old.
"It is not only this year, but in the season before this as well I played a similar role for the team as we rarely have
Cheteshwar Pujara and
Ravindra Jadeja playing, but when they are here, I can play my game and express myself more. But in their absence I also need to construct the innings and carry certain players, because the more I bat the more I make others bat," said Sheldon, who has so far amassed 749 runs in nine matches.
Not very long ago, Jackson had vented ire on Twitter, questioning the national selectors for ignoring him and other Saurashtra players in India A. Still awaiting a reply, the Saurashtra batter reasoned, "Last season, I scored 856 runs. You should ask the selectors about my selection. I don't know. They haven't informed me formally or informally about anything. How many players score 700-800 runs consistently? You show me a record."
On the opening day of the semifinal match at the SCA Stadium, the right-hand batsman brought his fourth half-century of the Ranji season. On the way to his attacking 69 off 132 balls, he crafted his innings with nine boundaries and a couple of sixes.
Wearing his heart on his sleeves, Sheldon is treading the path taken by
Ambati Rayudu, but will it bear fruit? Only time will tell.