Saxena motivated to lift Kerala

As luck would have it, Saxena and his teammates weren’t successful with their task last year, but the failure hasn’t taken any motivation away from Saxena. It has in fact helped him double his efforts for the upcoming season. 

Saxena’s migration was aimed at getting into the India ‘A’ tours and the 30-year-old felt it was the right decision he took when he switched sides from Madhya Pradesh to Kerala. “I felt I wasn’t getting enough chances. I badly want to make a mark in the domestic circuit which would be instrumental in giving me a chance to play for the country. Hence, I wanted to contribute with a smaller team where my performances can help the team and myself,” Saxena said on the sidelines of a practice session at the Centre of Sports Sciences at the Ramachandra University here. 

A failure in his first year hasn’t deterred the young all-rounder to go for the kill in the new season. “The motivation is more now. I take it as a personal challenge to help the team gain promotion and nothing is impossible when we play good cricket,” Saxena added.

After being part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in the Indian Premier League, Saxena plied his trade in the Dhaka Premier League from the 2015 season after being released by his Indian franchisee. “Playing in Bangladesh was a learning experience. The league comes under List-A in the country and the performances can talk a lot. The level of cricket was good and the hot and humid conditions were a challenge. Working our way through these hurdles was a good experience,” the all-rounder added.

Working under Dav Whatmore and Tinu Yohannan for Kerala has been an enriching experience for Saxena. “I was welcomed with open hands and they made me feel like one in the family. We have accomplished coaches who know the nuances of the game well and it is a privilege to be working under these learned names. We see a difference in how we have been and how we are now and I hope we carry the good form into the Ranji too,” he concluded.