Jalaj Saxena to play for Kerala as a professional

Jalaj Saxena, the Madhya Pradesh and India A allrounder, has signed one-year contract with Kerala as a professional player for the 2016-17 season. He will join Iqbal Abdulla and Bhavin Thakkar, who moved from Mumbai to the Kerala side as professionals. A No-Objection Certificate from the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association was submitted to the Kerala Cricket Association on September 3.

"It was a personal decision, but a very emotional one too," Saxena, who is currently participating in the Duleep Trophy, told ESPNcricinfo. "It's a one-year deal which will be reviewed after the season and will be extended if they feel my performances have been up to their expectation.

"Having played for Madhya Pradesh for more than a decade, to make this switch was hard but I was sure of it. I wanted a change of environment at this stage, but I'm thankful to MPCA for giving me an opportunity over the years."

The Kerala Cricket Association was reportedly keen on signing Saxena given his record as a batting allrounder over the last four seasons.

From 2012-13 to 2015-16, Saxena racked up 2485 runs at an average of 46.89, with six centuries and 12 half-centuries, scoring more than 2000 runs as an opener. His offspin brought him 111 wickets at 26.01 in this period. He won the Lala Amarnath award for the best allrounder for the 2014-15 season, in which he scored 768 runs and took 20 wickets in the first-class format. Overall, Saxena has played 84 first-class matches, scoring 4604 runs with 195 wickets.

Last season, one where they qualified for the semi-finals, Saxena finished with the second-best match haul in Ranji Trophy history, taking 16 for 154 to help MP beat Railways. At Kerala, he will likely be a part of a spin trio, alongside left-arm spinners Karaparambil Monish, the third-highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy 2015-16, and Abdulla.

"My performances over the last four years have given me immense confidence," Saxena said. "But I realise I can't afford to drop my guard. As a professional, the onus is on you to perform. The self-belief is there now."

Saxena said the motivation to sign with Kerala, once he was briefed on what was expected of him, stemmed from their poor record. Kerala are yet to earn a promotion from Group C since the Ranji Trophy was revamped in 2012-13 to accommodate 27 teams into three groups. This season, Chhattisgarh will be the tenth team in Group C. Saxena may have been eligible to play for Chhattisgarh except for "minor issues" related to nativity - he was born in Bhilai and moved to Indore - but he realised that with Kerala, the competition will bring out the best in him at this stage of his career

"I looked at their performance. They were always mid-table in Group C, so if I can help them qualify to the elite groups, it will be a big achievement," he said. "Maybe that could also be a way of being recognised. With the line-up we've got, I'm confident we will improve this year."