Kolkata: Saransh Jain – the name was probably a surprise amongst likes of Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, etc when the Indian squad for 2 match Test series in August against Sri Lanka was announced. At the age of 33 years, the Madhya Pradesh spin bowling allrounder earned maiden callup after performing for over a decade in domestic circuit and earning reputation amidst intense competition.
A right-arm off-spinner who bats left-handed, Jain has been included alongside established spin options Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, as well as Manav Suthar. With Washington Sundar unavailable for selection for the opening Test, Jain offers India another off-spin option while also bringing significant lower-order batting value.
Jain’s rise to domestic Cricket has been sudden after years of struggle,rise and fall. Born in Indore on March 31, 1993, Jain made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh during the 2014-15 season. Cricket runs in the family, with his father Subodh Jain having also represented Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.
Jain’s early years in professional cricket were accompanied by a difficult personal period. Soon after the beginning of his first-class career, he travelled to Australia with a Madhya Pradesh club team. During that time, his father underwent surgery after being diagnosed with cancer. Jain learnt about the seriousness of his father’s condition only after returning home. Unable to speak properly following the surgery, Subodh wrote his son a note asking him to concentrate on his cricket. Jain has continued to preserve that note through his career.
Gradually, Jain established himself as prominent player in Madhya Pradesh squad in Red Ball Cricket. The highlight of his career was his team’s 2021-22 Ranji Trophy triumph.
He featured in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of that campaign and claimed 13 wickets across the three knockout matches. Jain also showed his value with the bat in the final against Mumbai, scoring 57 as Madhya Pradesh went on to win their maiden Ranji Trophy title.
His all-round game continued to develop. During the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season, Jain scored 360 runs and took 35 wickets, performances which earned him the Lala Amarnath Award for the competition’s best all-rounder. He subsequently moved into the India A set-up and strengthened his case at the higher level. Against England Lions in 2024, Jain scored half-centuries in both innings of an unofficial Test and also contributed with the ball.
The strongest push towards an India call-up, however, has come over the last year. Jain was named Player of the Series in the 2025 Duleep Trophy after taking 16 wickets for Central Zone during their title-winning campaign. His performances included crucial contributions with both bat and ball in the knockout stages.
He then enjoyed another outstanding Ranji Trophy season, scoring 518 runs at an average of 57.55 while taking 30 wickets at 20.43. Those numbers underlined his evolution from a specialist spinner capable of batting into a genuine red-ball all-rounder.
Another yet important breakthrough of Jain’s career came just weeks before India’s squad announcement – a performance that paced his selection. Playing for India A against Sri Lanka A in Galle, Jain took 4 for 92 in the first innings and 2 for 66 in the second, while also scoring an unbeaten 70. India A went on to win the match by 10 wickets and seal the series 1-0.
Now Jain is heading back to Sri Lanka, but this time as part of India’s senior Test squad. At 33 and after more than 11 years in first-class cricket, his selection is a reminder that an India call-up does not always have to be built around youth and potential. In Jain’s case, it has arrived after years of performances, patience and persistence.
Overall, he has played 54 first class games in which he has taken 188 wickets at an average of 27.30, while scoring 2223 runs with two centuries and 14 fifties. He was also part of a specialised training camp for emerging off-spinners under Harbhajan Singh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in March.
Jain is in line to make a stunning Test debut at 33, being the lone off-spinner in the squad. India will play a four-day practice match in Colombo, starting on 7 August.
