Sri Lanka Tests: How a note from ill father drives new call-up Saransh Jain
Off spinning allrounder from Madhya Pradesh, 33, finally rewarded in Washington Sundar’s absence
Saransh Jain, who? For those not closely following India’s domestic cricket circuit, the Madhya Pradesh off-spinning all-rounder has been knocking on the door of the national team for the past few years — until an injury to Washington Sundar opened the door for his call-up to the squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Colombo next month.
Saransh, along with right-arm pacer Gurnoor Brar and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar — who impressed on his debut in the one-off Test against Afghanistan — are the three surprise picks in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead for years, and No. 3 batter Sai Sudarshan have also been named in the 15-member touring party, subject to fitness.
It’s not every day that a 33-year-old earns a maiden call-up to India’s Test squad, especially given the country’s much-talked-about assembly line of talent. Saransh Jain, the Madhya Pradesh off-spinner, had been knocking on the selectors’ doors for the past few years. However, an injury to Washington Sundar — often described as a favourite of head coach Gautam Gambhir and a player persisted with across formats — opened the door for his selection. Sundar’s hamstring injury, sustained during the ODIs against England, forced the selectors to look for an off-spinner, particularly with several left-handers in Sri Lanka’s batting line-up.
A product of the grind of domestic cricket, Saransh was a key member of Chandrakant Pandit’s spirited Madhya Pradesh side that lifted the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy title. He claimed 35 wickets and scored 360 runs that season, earning the Lala Amarnath Award for the best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy. His performances earned him a call-up to the India A squad for the series against England Lions, where he scored half-centuries in both innings of the only match he played.
What worked in terms of immediate recall, however, was his impressive performance during the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, where he scored an unbeaten 70 and picked up six wickets in the second four-day game. A seasoned campaigner, Jain has 2,223 runs at an average of 31.75 and 188 wickets at 27.30 from 54 first-class matches to his name, but had remained outside the radar of IPL scouts.
There is a poignant story about what motivated Saransh early in his career, soon after he made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy in 2014. When he returned home from a tour of Australia with a club side, the young cricketer was in for a rude shock: his family had kept a serious health crisis from him. His father, Subodh Jain — a former Madhya Pradesh player himself — was bedridden after undergoing facial surgery. Saransh sought answers but received no satisfactory explanation until his father asked for a pen and paper.
A Cricinfo interview with him some time ago quoted him recalling the note: “I am fine now, son,” his father wrote. “If you just play better, I will get well sooner,” said Subodh, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Saransh said he still treasures that note from his father and that it continues to drive him through both failures and successes.
The first Test begins on 15 August in Galle, while the second starts on 23 August at the SSC in Colombo. India will play a four-day practice match in Colombo, beginning on 7 August.
The series also marks India’s first assignment in the current World Test Championship cycle since their humiliating 2-0 home defeat to South Africa in November. Last year, they drew a five-Test series in England 2-2 and defeated the West Indies 2-0 at home. They currently sit fifth in the WTC standings, while Sri Lanka are sixth.
India’s Test squad
Shubman Gill (capt), K.L. Rahul (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain.