It was in 2008 when Wasim Jaffer played his last Test match for India against South Africa in Kanpur. For those who don’t know or recall this Indian opener from Mumbai, he was a man who struggled a lot during his international outings. But when he got off the mark, he just slew the patience of his opponents. And after a decade of being ousted from the Indian side, he has become the first Indian player above the age of 40 years to register more than 250 runs in a first-class inning.
Usually, cricketers bid adieu to the gentlemen’s game at this age but Jaffer seems unstoppable. On March 15 when he went out to bat, Jaffer became the 5th Indian batsman to score a double century at the age of 40.
Here is the glimpse of that moment:
Indian cricket’s old warhorse Wasim Jaffer becomes only the 5th Indian batsman to score a double century at the age of 40! Vidarbha at 510/3 heading towards a mammoth total in the final of #IraniCup #ROIvVID
(video courtesy: @BCCIdomestic) pic.twitter.com/qSQmov4sRm
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) March 15, 2018
With this knock, Jaffer is now placed at the sixth position on the list of India’s all-time leading domestic run scorers. Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar tops the list with 25834 runs followed by Sachin Tendulkar (25,396 runs), Rahul Dravid (23,794 runs), VVS Laxman (19,730 runs) and Vijay Hazare (18,740 runs).
He might not have impressed the selectors with his performance when he donned the Indian Test jersey but his records in the domestic circuit are par excellence. Let’s have a look at the records associated with Jaffer in the Ranji Trophy:
- Wasim Jaffer has 100% track record in Ranji finals. He appeared in 10 finals (For Mumbai and Vidarbha) and won all of them.
- He is the highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy till date:
Highest run-scorer in Ranji Trophy:
| Sl No. | Runs | Batsman | Teams | Career Span |
| 1 | Wasim Jaffer | 10,665 | Vidarbha, Bombay/Mumbai | 1996/97 – Present |
| 2 | Amol Mazumdar | 9202 | Bombay/Mumbai, Assam, Andhra Pradesh | 1993/94 – 2013/14 |
| 3 | Devendra Bundela | 9168 | Madhya Pradesh | 1995/96 – Present |
| 4 | Mithun Manhas | 8554 | Delhi, J & K | 1997/98 – 2016/17 |
| 5 | Hrishikesh Kanitkar | 8059 | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan | 1994/95 – 2013/14 |
- He also owns the most number of centuries under his belt in the Ranji Trophy:
Most career centuries:
| Sl No. | Centuries | Batsman | Teams | Career Span |
| 1 | 36 | Wasim Jaffer | Bombay/Mumbai, Vidarbha | 1996/97 – Present |
| 2 | 31 | Ajay Sharma | Delhi, Himachal Pradesh | 1984/85 – 2000/01 |
| 3 | 28 | Hrishikesh Kanitkar | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan | 1994/95 – 2013/14 |
| 4 | 28 | Amol Mazumdar | Bombay/Mumbai, Assam, Andhra Pradesh | 1993/94 – 2013/14 |
| 5 | 27 | Amarjeet Kaypee | Punjab, Haryana | 1980/81 – 1999/00 |
By the end of day 2, Vidarbha scored a massive total of 598 runs with the loss of 3 wickets. On Day 3, Jaffer (285*) and Apoorv Wankhade (45) resumed the inning. Jaffer haa a fair chance to become the first batsman to get a triple century in the domestic circuit at an age of 40 years but h ended up scoring 286 runs and lost his wicket to Siddharth Kaul.
