Record-breaking Saxena targets knockouts

Jalaj Saxena's phone hasn't stopped ringing. As he settled into his seat and turned his phone on, soon after Madhya Pradesh's nine-wicket win over Railways in Gwalior, he realised his inbox had far more messages that he normally receives after a day's play. First he mistook them for Diwali greetings, but realised that wasn't the case after reading the first message. "A local journalist texted saying I had broken some sort of record," Saxena told ESPNcricinfo. "I wasn't sure what exactly, but as I scanned through, I slowly found out. It is a proud feeling to win a game, but all the more special because I could play a part in the win."

This wasn't any ordinary performance. His incredible figures of 16 for 154 were the joint second-best figures in Ranji Trophy history. Only Anil Kumble, someone he has worked quite closely with during his time with Mumbai Indians, has better figures - 16 for 99 for Karnataka against Kerala at Thalaserry in 1994-95. He equaled the figures held by Pradeep Sunderam, who achieved the feat for Rajasthan against Vidarbha in 1985-86.

To put things into perspective, it was Madhya Pradesh's second successive victory to put themselves back in the running for a knockout berth, something that has eluded them since 2011-12. "It's an incredible feeling to top the group at the moment, but there are still three games to go, so the message within the group is not to get too ahead of ourselves. We have the team to qualify though," Saxena said. "What we have been harping on is to cash in on the key moments. We have done that in the last two games."

Saxena, who has picked up 26 wickets this season, said that success in recent times stemmed from better use of the crease and sticking to his strengths. "My stock delivery is the offspin," Saxena said. "Sometimes, with so much of emphasis on the need to have different deliveries, you tend to get carried away. But the key is to stick to your strengths, that is what Daniel Vettori (coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, who Saxena represents in the IPL) told me. I've also understood the importance of using the crease. But that's not to say I don't want to bring in subtle variations."

What do his chats with Vettori revolve around? "He's a legend, you learn by watching him bowl," Jalaj said. "I'm trying to get more control over my flight, because on good wickets, you will need to beat quality batters in the air. That is what I tried to do in this game against Railways, and it paid off."

Even before the talk wheels towards the pitches, Saxena is quick to credit the 22-yard strips. "Last two-three seasons, we have had to play on green wickets, where the ball just skidded on. You had to be lucky if you got one long spell," he said. "This year, the pitches have been better from spinners' point of view maybe because we started the season in October. The wickets I have bowled on so far have been on the drier side. There have been a couple of good batting wickets too."

It's easy to get swayed by his record tally of wickets, but Saxena has been a handy batsman too. He is currently the second-highest run-getter for Madhya Pradesh after Aditya Shrivastava, with 391 runs in eight innings at an average of 55.85. "Maybe because of the IPL I am a better striker of the ball, but I have always tried to be aggressive," Saxena said. "I have worked hard on it, because you need to contribute in all facets."

As part of his learning, Saxena goes back to analyse his bowling spells with Narendra Hirwani, the former India legspinner. "He has been a great influence, especially when the domestic season is on. He is a knowledge bank on spin bowling in general," Saxena said. "Talking to him about my cricket makes me feel good about my bowling."

What about the aspiration to play for India then? "That is definitely there. When Naman Ojha got picked in the Indian squad for the third Test in Sri Lanka, it wasn't just a message that domestic performances don't go unnoticed, but also reinforced belief into everyone that we too can play for India. For now, I would be happy if we first qualify for the quarterfinals and then take it from there."