33-year-old all-rounder Saransh Jain from Madhya Pradesh is now just one step away from realizing his dream of playing for India. Saransh Jain was handed a maiden call-up to the India national cricket team for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in August.
After consistently performing well in domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh, the experienced all-rounder was included in the India squad for the first time after Washington Sundar was ruled out of the crucial Sri Lanka tour due to injury. Earlier, Hanuma Vihari praised Saransh Jain but sought answers on ignoring Jalaj Saxena.
Age is definitely just a number: Saransh Jain on rare India selection
Saransh’s selection is a special achievement as very few Indian cricketers have made their Test debut after the age of 33. Since 1955, only Robin Singh and Rakesh Shukla have been successful in doing so. However, the off-spinner never let his age affect his confidence and always believed that his chance would come.
The all-rounder stressed that modern cricket has changed a lot and players are judged more by their fitness and performance than their age. He always believed that if he continued to perform well, he would eventually make it to the Indian team, whether this year or next year.
“Age is definitely just a number, so 33 is just a number these days because of the fielding standards, which are so high that your age doesn’t show on the field. I knew, if I hadn’t made it into the Indian team today, I would have played in the next year or two, but I was confident that I would make it,” Saransh Jain said on Geostar.
Saransh Jain receives dream India call-up soon after temple visit
Interestingly, Saransh got the biggest news of his career only after visiting a temple in Indore. On Tuesday morning, BCCI announced the Indian team for the Sri Lanka Test series. When he came out of the temple and checked his phone, there were many missed calls and messages on it.
Before he could understand what had happened, his Madhya Pradesh teammate Parth Sawhney called and congratulated him. At first, Saransh was surprised because Indian teams are usually announced during the day. Once he learned that the news was official, he was “extremely happy”.
Saransh Jain reveals valuable lessons from Harbhajan Singh before Sri Lanka tour
Meanwhile, Saransh Jain also attended a special training camp for off-spinners at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru earlier this year in March. During the camp, the off-spinner worked closely with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The World Cup winner helped the Indore player improve the tactical side of his bowling rather than making technical changes. Saransh revealed that Harbhajan advised him to use different angles and variations more effectively.
He shared, “He gave me some tips on how to use angles and variations. One piece of advice that will always stick with me is ‘To gain something, you don’t have to lose something but have to gain something.'” Meanwhile, meet India’s new all-rounder selected for the Sri Lanka Test series.
Summary Gall relies on experience
The all-rounder also believes that his previous experience of playing in Galle can help him during the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
“I had been to Sri Lanka as a junior cricketer, but this was my first time playing in Galle. It was also my first time bowling with the red Kookaburra ball. So, it was a good experience for the upcoming series,” Saransh said.
