Ranji Trophy 2024: Sheldon Jackson hammers his 21st First-Class century
Saurashtra's Sheldon Jackson played a crucial knock against Rajasthan in the 2024 Ranji Trophy. Jackson was unbeaten on 78 at stumps on Day 1 and added 38 more runs on Day 2 to register his 21st First-Class century. Courtesy of his 116, Saurashtra could compile a challenging total of 328 in the first innings.
A defiant knock from Jackson
Jackson was out in the middle when Saurashtra were 74/3 and he started consolidating with Cheteshwar Pujara. The two veteran batters complimented each other brilliantly and went on to slam hundreds. Jackson and Pujara stitched a 168-run partnership. Even after Pujara's dismissal, Jackson kept fighting as wickets tumbled until he shared a 56-run stand with Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. Eventually, Kukna Ajay Singh dismissed him.
A look at Jackson's struggle in the 2024 Ranji Trophy
Before this century, Jackson was struggling to get going in the 2024 Ranji Trophy campaign. He started off the season with a 54 against Jharkhand followed by 1 and 9 versus Haryana in the next game. He scored 21 and 10 versus Vidarbha and only 21 against Services. In five matches, he owns 232 runs at an average of 33.14 (100: 1, 50: 1).
A look at Jackson's First-Class numbers
Playing his 96th First-Class clash, Jackson has amassed 6,800-plus runs at an average above 47. Besides 21 centuries, the 37-year-old has also smashed 37 fifties in this format. Jackson made his First-Class debut for Saurashtra in 2011 and gradually became a mainstay for the state team across all three formats. He has featured in 96 FC matches, 81 List A matches and 84 T20s.
Jackson averaged 39.20 in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy campaign
Jackson played a big role in helping Saurashtra win the Ranji Trophy last season. He had compiled 588 runs from 10 matches at an average of 39.20. He hammered four fifties and a solitary ton. Notably, he was the third-highest run-getter among Saurashtra batters as he was behind Arpit Vasavada's 907 runs and Harvik Desai's tally of 614 runs.
How has the match proceeded?
Batting first, Saurashtra were off to a shaky start as they lost Kevin Jivrajani in the very first over. Later, the likes of Vishvaraj Jadeja and Harvik also departed in quick succession. They were in some trouble when Pujara and Jackson added 168 runs together. Both batters slammed centuries. Later, Jackson added 56 runs with Dharmendrasinh as Saurashtra reached 328. Rajasthan's Kukna claimed 5/120.
