Indian domestic veteran Sheldon Jackson hasn’t given up on his dream to play for the India team in the future, despite being snubbed repeatedly by the selectors citing his age as a factor. The wicketkeeper-batter has been a consistent performer for Saurashtra in domestic cricket, especially in the longer format of the game.
The veteran was overlooked by the selectors for the Duleep Trophy, despite playing a pivotal role in Saurashtra’s title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign in the 2022 season, as he scored 588 from 10 games for his side helping to win the championship.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Sheldon Jackson said that he gets motivated seeing Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni, who has performed country at the highest level in recent times, as he worked closely alongside Karthik during his time with Kolkata Knight Riders, stating him as a true inspiration for him to continue playing despite not given opportunity in the Indian colours.
“I get motivated when I see Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni. I was with him (Karthik) at KKR and I have seen his entire transformation. He is a true inspiration for me and at the stage of my career that I am he is a motivation to me,” Sheldon Jackson said.
Dinesh Karthik made a stunning comeback into the India side following his brilliance for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022 as he scored 330 runs from 16 matches last year at an average of 55.0 making a remarkable comeback into the Indian T20 side, where he could not replicate his form in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
I Will Never Call A Selector And Ask Why Am I Not Picked – Sheldon Jackson
Sheldon Jackson said that he cannot on anyone selection in the Indian side and said that he will never call a selector to ask about his non-selection in the team and added that if was not good enough to play at the highest level he would have played 90+ games for Saurashtra in the longer format of the game with an average close to 50.
“If you don’t get the chance where you will make an impact? I can never comment on anyone’s selection. I can only ask about me, that is why I have not got picked. I will never call a selector and ask why am I not picked.
“If I was not good enough, I wouldn’t have played 90+ games with an average close to fifty. My red ball stats and white ball stats are two different things,” Sheldon Jackson added.
Sheldon Jackson has been a stalwart of Saurashtra cricket in recent years and one of their most dependable players for more than a decade. In 90 first-class games, he has amassed 6608 runs at a good average of 48.94 with 20 hundred to his name.
Other cricketers Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Baba Indrajith, and Priyank Panchal were ignored from the squad for the upcoming series, as these players have consistently performed for their domestic team over the last few years,