Saransh Jain, a 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh all-rounder, has made history by becoming the oldest Indian spinner to receive an international call-up.
After more than a decade of grinding away in domestic cricket, Jain finally earned his maiden senior India call-up, alongside established spin options Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar in the squad. This comes after Washington Sundar was ruled out of the opening Test through injury.
Jain's consistent lower-order runs add genuine value to the batting depth, and his most decisive performance arrived just weeks before the squad announcement, where he returned with figures of 4 for 92 and 2 for 66 across both innings while playing for India A against Sri Lanka A in Galle.
His batting skills also came to the fore, as he struck an unbeaten 70 with the bat to help India A register a comprehensive ten-wicket win and a 1-0 series victory. Now, Jain heads back to the same Sri Lankan shores, only this time wearing India's senior Test colours.
Jain's cricketing roots trace back to Indore's Vijay Club, where he trained alongside a young Rajat Patidar, who is now Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Madhya Pradesh's captain. His father, Subodh Jain, had himself represented Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, and had once nursed his own dreams of playing for India before that ambition eventually passed down to his sons.
Jain's family's unfinished cricketing dream quietly shifted to him after his elder brother's playing ambitions didn't work out. His father stepped in as his earliest coach, and a handwritten note from Subodh has remained with Jain ever since, a quiet reminder carried through every stage of his career.
Jain steadily grew into one of Madhya Pradesh's most reliable red-ball performers, with the turning point arriving during the team's historic 2021-22 Ranji Trophy title run. He played across the quarter-final, semi-final, and final, picking up 13 wickets through the knockout stages, while also contributing a crucial 57 with the bat in the final against Mumbai.
His performances did not go unnoticed, and the heroics earned him the Lala Amarnath Award for the tournament's best all-round performer. That breakthrough opened the door to India A selection against England Lions in 2024, and he did not disappoint, backing up his growing reputation with half-centuries in both innings.
The clearest push toward international selection came in 2025, when Jain was named Player of the Series in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, after he claimed 16 wickets for a title-winning Central Zone side across just two matches, while also producing key half-centuries in both the semi-final and final.
Jain's impressive Ranji Trophy season saw him score 518 runs at an average of 57.55 alongside 30 wickets at 20.43. These are numbers that reflected his transformation from a bowler who could bat as well, lower down the order.
Discipline Statistic Value
Batting Innings 85
Runs 2223
Average 31.75
Fifties 14
Hundreds 2
Bowling Innings 97
Wickets 188
Average 27.30
Strike Rate 54.3
5W/10W 10/0
The two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place in August 2026, with the first Test match to start in Galle on August 15 before the final Test in Colombo.
Source: Yahoo Sports