Jalaj Saxena’s First-Class debut came two days after his 19th birthday in December 2005 against Kerala in his hometown Indore. He would meet them again the next year in Palakkad in his third appearance, alongside Amay Khurasiya, the only India international in the Madhya Pradesh XI then.
In a twist of cricketing fate a staggering 149 matches into his red-ball career, the 38-year-old Saxena would see his dream of a Ranji Trophy final realised with Kerala on Friday – nine years after he left his home state – with head coach Khurasiya in his first season in charge of the side.
Nagpur-born Aditya Sarvate’s only two meetings against Kerala ended in victories. Part of the Vidarbha side that wiped out Kerala in their only two knockout meetings – the Ranji quarterfinal in 2016-17 and the semi-final in Wayanad in 2018-19 – Sarvate even claimed a match-winning six-wicket haul in the first meeting in Surat. After his third unsuccessful Ranji final last year, the 35-year-old Sarvate secured a fourth appearance in the summit clash alongside Saxena and Khurasiya for Kerala, versus his original home team.
For knockout amateurs Kerala, the strategy was clear from the moment captain Sachin Baby announced their playing XI for the Ranji semi-final against Gujarat in Ahmedabad. Even as national selector Ajay Ratra heaped praise on the acutely cautious Kerala management for bravely fielding two debutants in Varun Nayanar and Ahammed Imran to shore up the batting on a strip they expected to turn square quite early, Saxena and Sarvate had to show up with the ball. There was no Plan B for a four-man bowling attack fielding two domestic stalwarts.
“Jalajum Sarvateyum ith nammalku erinju pidichirikkum (Jalaj and Sarvate will bowl them out and win it for us),” Kerala manager Nasir Machan, a veteran of nearly 33 years of cricket in the state, said before the start of play on Day 1.
After a colossal battle of patience on a flat deck to raise 457, Kerala’s hopes seemed to be receding when Gujarat sped to 222 for one in 71 overs, scoring at a much higher rate. Saxena and Sarvate were thwarted and wicketless on Day 3, with Gujarat’s batting bulwark Priyank Panchal denying them the rough and angles at every step with a flawless 29th First-Class hundred.
A marathon 71 bowling overs with game-changing four wickets and a solid 2nd innings hand under pressure. Hats-off, Jalaj Saxena! #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/N3tdPvocXv
— Lalith Kalidas (@lal__kal) February 21, 2025
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For the evergreen Saxena, a Ranji Trophy final would be the absolute reward for all the toil over 20 years with the India call-up seemingly a distant dream. Kick-starting the Kerala comeback, mustering all his nous and off-spin wizardry, Saxena finished with four massive scalps that shut the Gujarat top order on Thursday. That was before a marathon haul of 27 consecutive overs would bog Saxena down with Sarvate losing his lengths against Gujarat’s lower order bats Jaymeet Patel and Siddharth Desai.
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Motivational gem
On Friday, Sarvate would receive a shot in the arm when a shrewd Machan pulled the right chords before play. “Adi, we need to go to your hometown tomorrow. Nagpur. We need to face Vidarbha in the final,” the 59-year-old told the veteran spinner with a straight face.
With only a stringent budget of 28 runs and three wickets to get in the decisive play, Saxena and Sarvate orchestrated a masterclass, valuing the presence of one another to exploit the footmarks at one end while targeting the left-right pairs in Gujarat’s tail.
As Saxena tightened the screws with the longest bowling innings (71-14-149-4) of his career, Sarvate (45.4-7-111-4) would miraculously conjure up the three magical deliveries that would let his partner and new team soak in a new high.
“It’s a feeling which I cannot express in words. I’ve always been dreaming of this moment and fortunately, it’s happening for me. I can’t express my happiness,” said Saxena as his phenomenal First-Class tally rose to 7,032 runs and 482 wickets.
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With over 2,000-plus runs and 300-plus wickets, left-arm spinner Sarvate has revelled in the circuit all right. But he is content playing second fiddle this time, behind the ‘G.O.A.T.’
“He (Jalaj) has been playing for 20 years. So, I am no one in front of him. You can call him a G.O.A.T., 7,000 runs and 450 wickets is no small deal. I just try to be in his presence and try asking him about match situations and conditions. I am also learning from him a lot and he has been a great guide for me too,” Sarvate remarked.
Kerala’s Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarvate speak with head coach Amay Khurasiya after inspiring Kerala to victory over Gujarat in Ahmedabad. (Express Photo by Lalith Kalidas)
The Kerala think tank was instrumental in pairing up the two probing spin arms in the bid for a historic final this season. “It was really emotional for me to leave Vidarbha after 10 years and come to a new place. But from day one, I didn’t feel like an outsider here. The players and the coaching staff and even Amay sir have been treating me exceptionally well,” said Sarvate.
“As a professional cricketer, it’s a great honour. I have seen the difference in the level of cricket in the last nine years with Kerala and it’s commendable. We have grown to become one of the most hardworking teams in the country. A lot has gone on behind the scenes,” Saxena added.
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Shortly before the team lined up for the post-match presentation, Sarvate and Saxena shared a quiet but firm embrace. Coming from Nagpur and Indore respectively to the quaint shores of Thumba, Sarvate and Saxena worked off one another, navigating individual checkpoints while guiding the Kerala bandwagon to an unprecedented milestone.
