Madhya Pradesh off-spinner Saransh Jain was a notable inclusion in India’s 15-member squad announced for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

At 33, Jain became the oldest to receive a maiden India Test call-up in this century. No wonder, he was over the moon after getting to know about his national selection.

Speaking to TOI, Jain revealed that learned about his Test squad selection after returning from a visit to Indore’s Shri Ranjeet Hanuman Temple.

“After returning from the temple, my phone was inundated with messages and missed calls. I realised that I was selected in the Indian Test squad for next month’s Sri Lankan tour,” Saransh said.

Since making his first-class debut in the 2014-15 season, Saransh Jain has played 54 matches so far, scoring more than 2,000 runs at an average of 31.75 while picking up 188 wickets at 27.30.

The national call-up comes after he impressed on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, claiming six wickets across two matches and scoring an unbeaten 70 in conditions similar to those expected in the Test series.

“My selection shows that the IPL alone is not the yardstick for making the cut. It is proof of the hard work I have put in domestic cricket. I would like to thank the selectors for showing faith in me,” he stated.

The hamstring injury to Washington Sundar opened the doors for Saransh Jain’s maiden India call-up, but he insisted that his performance was good enough to put him in the selection reckoning.

“The just-concluded India ‘A’ tour of Sri Lanka, where I picked up six wickets and scored an unbeaten 70, instilled confidence. Two years back, the six-for against Mumbai at the Irani Trophy was another important milestone,” he remarked.

Jain also recalled the tips and tricks he received from the legendary India spinner Harbhajan Singh during their meeting at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

“I met Bhajji about three months ago. He gave me some tips like how to use the crease better and bowl with a higher arm action because I tend to go slightly around-arm. Bowling with a more perpendicular action, he said, would help me get the desired drop,” he noted.

Saransh Jain credited his father Subodh Jain as his main inspiration. “My father (Subodh Jain) is my hero. He was the reason why I became a cricketer,” he said.

Subodh, who played cricket for Madhya Pradesh in the 1980s, would often ask his son “Bowl like the best off-spinner and bat like a proper No.4.”

(With TOI Inputs)