Saransh Jain, the 33-year-old all-rounder, has revealed that he didn’t know he was picked in the Indian squad and was informed about the same by his friend. Jain was named for the upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka starting from August 15 in Galle.
Washington Sundar was injured and was replaced by Saransh Jain. When the squad was announced, the all-rounder disclosed his location and how he learned of his call-up. While driving to a temple he frequently visits, a friend who plays cricket informed him.
"I was at a temple in the morning, where I always go. When I was going to another temple from there, I saw my phone while driving, and there were 10-12 missed calls and messages. I picked up my friend's call, who also plays cricket. He congratulated me. I asked him what for. I told him the squad wouldn't be announced (officially) in the morning. But he told me it was. I stopped the car on the side and saw that the squad was actually announced," Jain told Star Sports.
The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder also praised his family for their unwavering support and acknowledged the sacrifices they had made. In 2014, he made his first-class debut; in 2017, he made his List A debut.
"It is the hard work and discipline of 26 years. When I went back home, my father, brother, wife, mother, and everyone were emotional. It was a common dream for all, and everybody had made sacrifices. It is not easy to be picked in a 15-member squad in India. Family support is very important. There were many times when I could have broken down, but they supported me and managed things,” he added.
Jain came into notice thanks to his 70 runs and six wickets in the second tour game for India A against Sri Lanka A recently.
Saransh Jain, who has always wanted to represent India in Test cricket, thinks that age is just a number. He stated that he believes he would eventually play for his country.
"My dream was also to play Test cricket for India right from the start. I like red-ball cricket anyway. I am very happy, as the patience needed in red-ball cricket comes with experience match by match. Age is just a number. If you are fit, it does not look like you are old. 33 is just a number. If not now, in the next one or two years, I would definitely play for India," he said.
Saransh Jain had an excellent Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, where he scored 518 runs with one century and three fifties and also took 30 wickets at an average of 20.43 with best figures of 6/75.
