It is not always simple to make the national squad in India’s extremely tough cricket system. Despite outstanding accomplishments on the domestic circuit, plenty of athletes throughout history have been unable to crack the Indian XI. However, several players have retired without earning a national cap after waiting their entire careers for an India call-up. Sheldon Jackson, who will turn 37 this year, is not giving up yet though.
Jackson played for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2022 Indian Premier League and put up a strong showing for Saurashtra during the previous season. Jackson has participated in 90 first-class games and 77 List-A contests but has yet to receive a call-up from India. He has expressed his disappointment at not being selected for India ‘A’ this past year.
I get motivated when I see Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni: Sheldon Jackson
Jackson said in an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda that he is inspired to continue playing cricket by India legends Dinesh Karthik as well as MS Dhoni. Karthik, 37, made an incredible return to Team India last year, and Dhoni, 41, led the Chennai Super Kings towards a record-tying fifth IPL championship this year.
He said, “I get motivated when I see Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni. I was with him (Karthik) at KKR and I have seen his entire transformation. He is a true inspiration for me and at the stage of my career that I am he is a motivation to me.”
Jackson claimed that if he had not been good enough, he might not have participated in over 100 first-class games and achieved at a rate of 49 goals per game. He said, “If you don’t get the chance where you will make an impact? I can never comment on anyone’s selection. I can only ask about me, that why I have not got picked. I will never call a selector and ask why am I not picked.”
He also discussed how he is different in both red ball and white ball formats. He said, “If I was not good enough, I wouldn’t have played 90+ games with an average close to fifty. My red ball stats and white ball stats are two different thing.”
