'They said we're not picking anyone above 30, is there a law?' - Sheldon Jackson slams Indian selectors over non-selection

Saurashtra wicketkeeper-batter Sheldon Jackson has expressed his frustration on not getting picked up for the national side despite scoring consistently in domestic cricket. He stated that he has been told that players above 30 years of age are not being picked in the national side.

The 35-year-old batter made his Indian Premier League debut in 2017 with KKR itself. In the recently concluded season, however, he failed to impress with below-average performances for the team and was later replaced by Sam Billings. However, he has been very impressive in domestic cricket and has maintained an average above 50 in the first-class format. Jackson has scored 5947 runs in 79 first-class matches at an average of 50.39 and is also closing in on 10,000 runs across all formats.

“There has been no communication (on why I was not picked) but once I asked someone what more I need to do, I was told I am old. They told me that above 30, we are not picking anyone. But ultimately, after a year, they picked someone who was around 32-33. I was very vocal that is there any law that once you’re above 30, 35, or even 40 you cannot get picked? Then why don’t you come out with the law itself?” Jackson told Sportskeeda.

The more I don’t get picked, the more I get determined to do it again: Sheldon Jackson

Indian setup rotated wicketkeeping duties between Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, and Parthiv Patel after MS Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014. Now, Rishabh Pant is the first and long-term choice for the wicketkeeper position across all three formats and has impressed well in the red-ball format in overseas conditions.

The 28-year-old Andhra batter, KS Bharat, is the current second-choice wicketkeeping option for India, despite averaging just 36.65 in first-class cricket from the same number of matches as Jackson. The Saurashtra star has not lost hope and is keen on to keep pushing for the national team selection.

“The more I don’t get picked, the more I get determined to do it again. Not to prove people, but to prove it to myself that I still have the hunger in me,” Jackson said.