Will get noticed more if I score runs for Puducherry, states Sheldon Jackson

On Sunday, veteran wicket-keeper batsman Sheldon Jackson surprised one and all by switching to Puducherry from Saurashtra, despite top-scoring for the latter in a title-winning season in 2019/20. The 33-year-old, who has 76 first-class matches under his belt and boasts an average close to 50, had said on the back of the move that he wanted to take up a new challenge, as a result of which he made the switch. 

The move did puzzle many, for they believed that the switch, if anything, would make Jackson’s pursuit to play international cricket harder, for the simple fact that Puducherry play in the plate division, but the wicket-keeper batsman thinks otherwise. According to the 33-year-old, he would get noticed more if he scores tonnes of runs for a plate side like Puducherry and he further noted that senior, professional players get more credit when they help plate sides qualify for Ranji Trophy knockouts. 

“A lot of people have been asking me that (I have made it tougher for myself by moving to a smaller team). I believe, if I score for a small team like Puducherry, It will get more noticed than my performances for Saurashtra where others are also scoring big runs like me consistently,” Jackson was quoted saying by Hindustan Times.

“I am looking at it that way. And if the team qualifies for the knock-outs, you (as a senior player) are bound to more credit. Also, I don’t think about the selectors’ point of view anymore because I tried to for a period of time but nothing happened.”

Someone who has been vocal about his non-selection in both the IPL and the ‘A’ level, Jackson, interestingly, revealed that he was still hopeful of making the India ‘A’ side. Jackson pointed out how the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja were picked for India when Saurashtra was a relatively small side and added that the selectors cannot ignore players in who they see the ‘X-Factor’.

“Why not? (get picked for India A). After all, it is a first-class side. If I score 1000 runs in the season, you never know. I have already had two 800 runs season. If you have to get picked, you will get picked either way. They see the X factor,” he said.

“Before a decade ago, Saurashtra was considered small. It has become big in the last 10 years and is still a much smaller centre compared to Mumbai and Delhi. Still our two players (Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja) are playing for India. Similarly, Puducherry could too become big in the next five years.”

Puducherry will be Jackson's first Ranji team not named Saurashtra, having plied his trade with the latter ever since he made his first-class debut in the 2011/12 season.