Ever since his 286 at the V. C. A. Stadium in Jamtha in the Irani Cup match versus Rest of India last March, Wasim Jaffer has been giving a batting lesson - not just to his team-mates but even to the opponents - virtually every time he puts the pads on. Jaffer is in such a great nick that despite being a month shy of turning 41, he, with his sublime 206 , is on the cusp of scoring 1,000 runs in a Ranji season, a feat he last achieved 10 seasons ago in his maiden season as Mumbai captain.
With Jaffer returning to his old self of making potent first-class bowling attack look like those on the maidans, accolades have followed for the doyen of domestic cricket. But the veteran has no time to revel in the compliments. After all, just three years ago, Jaffer was struggling to find a team since he had virtually missed the entire 2016-17 season due to a knee injury.
"I had missed a whole season and Indian Oil had decategorised me and wanted me to sit in office and work on the desk. I told them I still have a few years with me but anyway I had to look for a team (as professional)," Jaffer said after his marathon knock.
"There were not many teams who were keen to have me despite me being the highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy. So many teams turned their back on me and said no, which was eye-opening for me. I am grateful to Vidarbha for giving me the chance and I played for free last year.
Despite having plundered 969 runs, Jaffer knows that the accolades will be short-lived with age not being on his side. "You will get respect only when you are scoring because I have seen teams being reluctant to have me. The moment you flop in two or three innings, the same people will talk ke umar ho gayi hai. It’s the runs that count."
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