New Delhi: On February 13, at the St Xaviers CMI Public School in Bhavnagar, cricketer Sheldon Jackson went to pick up his elder son around 12:35 PM. He patiently sat on the bench and watched with delight his son playing with fellow classmates. He had time on his hands as he was no longer required to rush back to attend his own training session.
This happened only two days after the Saurashtra wicketkeeper-batter bid adieu to domestic cricket, after playing 106 first-class and 86 List A matches, once they were knocked out by Gujarat in the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Emotional Farewell: Teammate react to Jackson’s retirement
It was that moment for Sheldon to call time on his career of 16 years. He was felicitated by the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) in front of his family members and teammates in what was an emotional moment for all.
“When I got out then it clicked to me that this is the last time that I will be playing competitive BCCI cricket for Saurashtra in this stadium with this team that has achieved everything,” Sheldon told News9 Sports in a telephonic interaction from Bhavnagar.
“That was the time that broke me down. I will never be able to do this in my entire life again. That was the time I felt my journey gets over here.”
Sheldon walked out as the dusk settled over the city of Rajkot with 7283 first-class runs at an average of 45.80, laced by 39 fifties and 21 centuries, besides 2792 runs in List A cricket at 36.25.
He was part of Saurashtra’s two Vijay Hazare Trophy triumphs (2007-08 and 2022) as well as two Ranji Trophy victorious campaigns (2019-20 and 2022-23).
As Saurashtra top-order batter Arpit Vasavada, who made his Ranji debut with Sheldon in December 2011 against Railways, called it to be the ‘starting of an end of an era’ for the team which saw new heights in the last few years under Jaydev Unadkat’s captaincy. All-rounder Chirag Jani and left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja are the two other players who have been regulars in the era-defining period for the state team.
“Obviously, it was a bit emotional moment (to see Sheldon retire). One of the pillars of the golden era of Saurashtra has called it time,” Arpit told News9 Sports.
“Everyone was emotional in the team as well as in his family members. In a similar manner, Sitanshu Kotak had retired, and Kamlesh Makwana also retired in recent years,” he added.
But then Sheldon has a moment of existential crisis following the decision to retire. He wonders why he needs to get off his bed and how to spend the rest of the day. For a decade-and-a-half, he dedicated his time toward practice sessions, gyms, and batting drills, where he would ask for an additional 50 throwdowns even after being fed with 250-plus of them, recalled Saurashtra cricket team coach Niraj Odedra.
“He dedicated all his life to cricket and fitness and that makes him different from other cricketers,” Niraj told News9 Sports. “Commitment comes from fitness. He was very professional when it used to come to fitness. He has always maintained his fitness till the end of his career. At the age of 38, if you look at him now he looks fit as a youngster. That standard he has maintained makes him totally different.”
It was quite resounding to hear Sheldon wait for his son nonchalantly at the school because now onwards his goal will be to have enough leisure time with his family.
“It’s been two days since I have retired, and now I feel that there is no challenge for me in life,” a listless Sheldon said.
“To be very honest I don’t know what to do when I get up in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. 15-16 years of professional cricket and prior to that under-age cricket. I have played for Saurashtra since I was 13. There was a fixed routine in that 27-year period. Gym, practice and other activities, but now in the last two days there is nothing out there.
“First I used to feel that there is no time in the day but now I feel that there is abundance of time but where do I invest that? It will take time for me to adjust in this phase. Everything was cricket-centric. And now there is no professional cricket only,” he added.
Sheldon Jackson’s illustrious Saurashtra cricket career
It was a demanding journey for the Bhavnagar-born cricketer to make it to the Saurashtra Ranji side, five years after he made his debut for the team in the List A format against Baroda (then called as the Ranji One-Day Trophy). Sheldon had to bide his time to don the whites, he terms it as the most struggling phase of his career.
The opportunity knocked on the door in the 2011-12 season as he made 39 and 13 against Railways in a low-scoring game at the Karnail Singh Stadium which folded in nearly two days with Saurashtra taking the win home by 97 runs.
“Me and Arpit made our debut on a very dicey wicket as the match was wrapped up in a day and a half. I scored 40 in the first innings and we won that match outrightly,” he recalled.
He never looked back after that game as he scored bulk of runs season after season to cement his place by clasping it. The following are the numbers delivered by Jackson during his time for Saurashtra in red-ball cricket: 2012-13 (756), 2013-14 (448), 2014-15 (819), 2015-16 (538), 2016-17 (469), 2017-18 (400), 2018-19 (854), 2019-20 (809), 2022 (313), 2022-23 (588), 2024 (325) and 2024-25 (334).
The stats do indicate that three of the last four seasons didn’t go according to the standards set by the middle-order batter in his early years. That’s when he decided to pass the baton to a youngster in the team after all he was satisfied for everything he achieved on the 22-yard pitch.
“I had made up my mind that someone else deserves my spot. As a youngster I waited out for six years, and used to think if some people retire, maybe I could get a chance to play,” he said.
“I never wanted any youngster to feel the same as my time came. I wanted to retire with dignity and I wanted to retire with respect. I think I have been able to achieve that,” the 38-year-old added.
Sheldon played a crucial role in Saurashtra’s maiden Ranji title victory, leading the team’s scoring charts with 809 runs at an average of 50.56 with the help of three centuries and as many half-centuries. When Saurashtra prevailed over Bengal in the final by nine wickets, coach Niraj Odedra vividly remembers, Sheldon was the first person to get his white shirt signed by all players, coaches and management to mark the historic moment. They would go on to lift another title two seasons later at Eden Gardens against the same opponents in the final.
The India dreams that never took flight
The consistency Jackson showed in domestic cricket never translated into a reckoning for the Indian dreams, though he played for India A against the West Indies A at home in 2013. His last appearance came a year later in the India A side. He also didn’t got enough opportunities in the zonal competitions with his last participation in the Duleep Trophy side in 2016. But the Saurashtra veteran has no regrets over missing on the India as he accepted his fate.
“As a cricketer everyone wished that (to represent India). That is one thing I wished that why not, but I have no regrets. Wherever I go or whatever I do, I still get the same respect,” he said.
“I have done things that give me respect. Maybe it wasn’t my luck. I am not a frustrated cricketer and I have no regrets that I haven’t played at the higher level. What was written in my destiny I have exactly played that,” he added.
Sheldon has played nine matches in the Indian Premier League across two stints for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He didn’t had the kind of impact he promised in the domestic circuit. The keeper-batter made only 61 runs in eight innings, which deterred his further opportunities in the cash-rich league. However, he was chuffed with the fact that he was reconsidered to play for KKR in the 2022 season when he was 35.
“I don’t think many domestic players crack that chance at 35. I think I was the second one (after Pravin Tambe). I thank KKR for the opportunity they presented to me,” he said.
Sheldon conceded that he was past his prime to play for IPL and didn’t show interest to put his name for the auction after his last season.
“I didn’t even fill the form for IPL since last three years. Somewhere I had accepted in my mind that I do not have the skill to be a part of any IPL franchise,” he added.
The Pujara impact on Sheldon’s game
In the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 semi-final, Sheldon was involved in a 204-run partnership with Indian veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara against Karnataka with the duo slamming centuries. Sheldon loves to bat with Pujara for the fact that all the bowlers have their attention on getting the latter’s wicket, and he banks on the situation to attack from the other end. But then Pujara is the one who asks him to slow down and save his wicket for the following session, something coach Niraj points out that the senior player gets the better of Sheldon.
“When you are batting with Cheteshwar Pujara then the opposition has focus on getting him out. They would throw all their energy behind his wicket. So they would have nothing left for me. So when you bat with him – it gets easier for you,” Sheldon said.
“They bowl the loose balls after getting drained and you are in the position to capitalise. They all know if Pujara stands then we are out of the match.”
“He told me not to get too aggressive and take undue risk in that partnership. We can win from the lower order if we sustain the pressure. I usually listen to him when I bat with him. I normally listen to him very carefully. I did that and we won that match,” he added.
Sheldon is well-known for his first-class record, but that isn’t something he would want to boast to his kids or grandkids in the future because he loved all formats equally, and considered the unbeaten 133 in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Maharashtra to be one of his best knocks.
Scores of 24*, 20*, 23, 1, 56*, 0, 8, and 0 prompted the keeper-batter to walk to captain Unadkat, urging him to drop him from the squad to accommodate a better alternative. However, Unadkat showed faith in the senior player’s ability and Sheldon didn’t disappoint him.
“Because everybody judges me that Oh! you are a fantastic red-ball cricketer. Just because I am successful in that format. That’s why I rate my Vijay Hazare – very very higher. It’s not right up there. Because of that innings. What state I was in and what I could do and what the outcome came along with it,” Sheldon said.
The player will take time and discuss with his close ones to decide his next move. For the moment, he wants to watch his two sons grow up before his eyes and adjust to the new phase of life. He will play the game in the legends format, but then he is bound to miss the pressure served by domestic cricket, which was a privilege for him.
Saurashtra cricketer Sheldon Jackson recently hanged his boots after being associated with domestic cricket for more than 16-years, where he won two Ranji Trophy and two Vijay Hazare Trophy titles. In an exclusive interview with News9 Sports, Jackson takes us through the journey and how he plans to look life beyond the 22 yards. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
