The ball gripped, the bails flew, and rain threatened to play party-pooper. But Kerala found its voice under the dark, sombre clouds. By the time the final Odisha wicket tumbled at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday afternoon, the hosts had notched up an innings win with seven vital points on their home turf. Kerala needed a little over 23 overs to wrap up Odisha’s innings for 143 and register an innings and 36-run win.At the centre was Jalaj Saxena, the veteran off-spinner, who mesmerised Odisha with his bagful of tricks to finish with figures of 5/34 from 18 overs.This was Jalaj’s 35th five-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy, a phenomenal number that puts him level with the great Bishan Singh Bedi for the joint fifth-most five-fors in the tournament’s history. Odisha, meanwhile, became the 20th Ranji team he has taken five wickets against.Quiz him on his record-breaking day, though, and the man shrugs. “I didn’t know about equalling Bishan paaji,” he says. “Who is the bowler with the highest five-fors? Is it Rajinder Goel?” he asks. Jalaj is correct.The legendary slow-left-arm orthodox spinner holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls in the Ranji Trophy, with 59 five-fors.The recipe for Jalaj’s success is built on his love for the game. “I just love the feeling of putting on the whites and playing for four days,” Jalaj tells TOI.In the offseason, he worked tirelessly on his fitness, assiduously strengthening his back and core to build stamina for bowling longer spells.“Odisha was already on the backfoot and were four wickets down coming into the final day. The plan was simple: land the ball in the right areas,” he explains.Jalaj landed the ball in the right areas, and the pitch did the rest. Like a true team man, Jalaj credits the group and not himself for this resounding win. “It is a team effort,” he says.The platform was set by Kerala’s batters, with centuries from Sachin Baby and Mohammed Azharuddeen.At 39, the age when most cricketers walk into the sunset, Jalaj is hungry and still looks to climb the ladder. “If you don’t have long-term goals, then there is no point in playing Ranji Trophy,” he quips. “Progressing to the next level is what I always aspire to,” he elaborates.“If you ask Sachin and Azhar, even they have aspirations of playing in the IPL and representing India,” Jalaj explains.His never-say-die attitude could rub off on some of Kerala’s younger players. Among them is off-spinner Vaisakh Chandran, who made a comeback to first-class cricket in the previous game against Jharkhand.“I love bowling in tandem with Vaisakh. He is a talented off-spinner and a keen learner,” he adds.The timing makes this win sweeter. With the festival in the air, Saxena has delivered the perfect Dussehra gift for Kerala. Next up is Bengal. “Taking it one game at a time. Not looking too far ahead,” Jalaj concludes.
