Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin heaped praise on Saransh Jain after the 33-year-old off-spinner received his maiden Test call-up for the upcoming Sri Lanka series as a replacement for the injured Washington Sundar.
India will play two Tests on the tour of Sri Lanka which are a part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. The first Test will be at Galle from August 15-19, while the second will be played at Colombo (SSC) from August 23-27.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Ashwin hoped that Saransh would get an opportunity, noting stiff competition in the playing XI.
"I am very happy for him. I have seen him. I think very highly of him. He bowls wide off the crease. He attacks. He is a different type of off-spinner. His job is to take wickets. He has done a very commendable job. I hope he gets a chance. Manav will play. Jadeja and Kuldeep will play, so he might have to sit out too. But I really hope because he has it in him to perform," Ashwin said.
Since making his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh 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.
In the same video, Ashwin emphasized that the team management must clearly define and communicate Sundar's primary role in Test cricket—whether as a top-six specialist batter or a frontline bowler—to protect him from unfair criticism and maximize his match-winning potential.
"Sundar's performance has been good. But again, in Test cricket, I want to ask Sundar's role definition. He is a very good batter, I agree. More than handy spinner. But India has to decide and communicate to Sundar what is his first role. Is he a top six batter or is he one of my top 4 bowlers? He is a match-winning bowler. He has to bat in the top six. If I am there, I am going to tell him to bat in the top six. It is important to define his role. If India loses, the question will come whether he is a batter or a bowler. He gets criticised, but I would question how he has been used," he explained.
Ashwin also called for Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion in the playing XI for Sri Lanka Test series. The left-arm wrist-spinner recently signed a multi-format County deal with Yorkshire, with Ashwin claiming the move was driven by the sole motive to play competitive cricket.
While Kuldeep was not part of India’s T20I squad for the UK and Zimbabwe tours, he warmed the bench during the entire ODI series against England.
"People are saying Kuldeep Yadav has signed a contract with Yorkshire County. I know how it feels. He has not played cricket. In many ways, it is him telling its okay, I just want to play. That's why he went. I hope that stint serves him well. I think he should play in Sri Lanka," Ashwin remarked.
