Jalaj Saxena

Jalaj Sahai Saxena (born 15 December 1986) is an Indian cricketer who plays as an all-rounder for Kerala. A right-hand batsman and off break bowler, he has also represented the India A and Central Zone cricket team.

Saxena has batted at various positions but usually opens the batting. In 2015 he registered the second-best bowling figures in the history of Ranji Trophy. The Madhya Pradesh and India A allrounder, has signed one-year contract with Kerala as a professional player for the 2016-17 season. He has emerged as one of the best all-rounders in domestic cricket and was awarded the Lala Amarnath Award for best all-rounder by BCCI in January 2016. His brother Jatin Saxena is also a first-class cricketer who plays for Madhya Pradesh.

Saxena scored 769 runs at an average of 69.90 in the 2012–13 Ranji Trophy including two centuries. He was included in the India A team that played against the touring Australian team in February 2013, and scored 30 not out and took five wickets including the wickets of Test batsmen Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan. Against New Zealand A in August 2013, he had figures of 6/103.

In the 2013–14 Ranji Trophy, Saxena scored 545 runs at an average of 41.92 with a top-score of 194, and took 35 wickets at an average of 19 including three five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls to finish among the top wicket-takers of the season.

In the 2014–15 season, Saxena hit three centuries and amassed 768 runs at an average of 45.17. In a match against Tamil Nadu, he scored 144 and then took 4/74 and 3/109 to win the man of the match. He was part of the Central Zone team that won the 2014–15 Duleep Trophy in which he scored 110 in the semifinal against North Zone and 71 in the final against South Zone, and also picked wickets.