Saurashtra stalwart Jackson calls time on career after Ranji loss

Jackson bids adieu to the game after scoring 7283 runs in 106 First-Class matches.
| Photo Credit: File photo: PTI

Beyond the immediate despondency of defeat for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Gujarat at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Tuesday, there was a whirlwind of emotions for Sheldon Jackson to experience as he called time on his nearly two-decade professional career. Moments after Saurashtra bowed out of the tournament, the 38-year-old middle-order batter had a tear or two rolling down while posing for photos on the outfield with his teammates as his mother, wife and two kids watched.

He bids adieu to the game after scoring 7283 runs in 106 First-Class matches at an average of 45.80, including 21 centuries and 39 fifties. He had announced his retirement from the white-ball game in January. The domestic stalwart was an integral part of Saurashtra winning the Ranji Trophy twice, in 2019-20 and 2022-23. He also won the Vijay Hazare Trophy — the domestic 50-over tournament — twice, once as a rookie in 2007-08 and then as a senior pro in the 2022-23 season. In the 2019-20 Ranji triumph, he was Saurashtra’s leading run-getter. When the team won the Vijay Hazare title a second time, he scored an unbeaten ton in the final.

“I made up my mind about retiring before the season began. It is never an easy call to stop something that has been a major part of your life,” Jackson told The Hindu on Tuesday. “The reason was I knew I had crossed my prime, in terms of age and performance. I was no longer in the picture for Duleep Trophy or Irani Cup. My motivation before the season was to play 100 First-Class matches.”

He picked the two Ranji titles as his proudest moments. “You ultimately play to win. Why do we always talk about the great Mumbai players? Because of the number of Ranji titles they have won. So, for a domestic cricketer, nothing can beat winning the Ranji Trophy.”