At 33, Saransh Jain Earns Maiden India Call-Up After Years in Domestic Cricket

Indore — Saransh Jain has received his first call-up to the Indian Test team at 33, and the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder isn’t dwelling on the “late bloomer” tag. His focus is only on the game.

Saransh has been picked for India’s two-Test series in Sri Lanka. With Washington Sundar unavailable for the first match, Saransh is the lone off-spinner in the squad, making an India debut in the Galle opener starting August 15 a strong possibility.

Learning From Harbhajan, Following Ashwin

Saransh found out about his selection on social media. He credits recent sessions with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after the IPL.

“He told me my release is good and my grip is like a classical off-spinner,” Saransh told. “His advice was mostly about tactics and mindset. At this level, skills are already there — it’s about how you use them in a match. Those one-on-one chats really helped me.”

MP coach Chandrakant Pandit, who backed Saransh’s return to the state side, points to his accuracy and bounce. Saransh often bowls around the wicket even with the new ball — a trait he shares with his idol Ravichandran Ashwin. 

“Lately he’s also mastered the ball that drifts away from the batter. He bowls top-spin too, a bit slower,” Pandit said.

A Grind That Finally Paid Off

Son of former first-class player Subodh Jain, Saransh made his Ranji debut in 2014 but broke through nearly 8 years later.

He came into the spotlight in the 2021-22 Ranji knockouts, taking 13 wickets and scoring a fifty to help MP win its first-ever title. 

Last season was his best yet: 518 runs at 57.55 and 30 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. Before that, he starred in the Duleep Trophy for Central Zone with 2 fifties and 16 wickets in 2 games, winning Player of the Tournament.

In 54 first-class matches, Saransh now has 2,223 runs and 188 wickets.

And he did it without the IPL route. 

“I’ve been consistent in Ranji and other domestic tournaments, and that’s why I got rewarded. That’s how I see it,” he said.

The call-up was emotional for his father too.

“He’s a very strong person. Tears don’t come easily to him. But yes, he did get a bit emotional,” Saransh said.