India’s squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka featured one of its biggest surprises in recent years when Saransh Jain earned his maiden national call-up after more than a decade of grinding through domestic cricket.
The 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh all-rounder replaces Washington Sundar, who was unavailable for selection for the opening Test, and arrives as one of the most consistent red-ball performers outside the international spotlight.
An 11-year wait finally ends
Saransh made his First-Class debut for Madhya Pradesh in December 2014 but had to wait 11 years before receiving his first India call-up. Unlike many recent debutants who fast-tracked their way through age-group cricket or the IPL, Saransh built his reputation almost entirely through domestic cricket.
A right-arm off-spinner who bats left-handed, he has developed into one of India’s dependable lower-order all-rounders. Across his First-Class career, he has claimed 181 wickets while scoring 2,223 runs, making him a genuine two-dimensional cricketer.
His selection comes after years of consistently delivering in the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and India A circuit.
Saransh Jain has earned his maiden Test call-up 👏
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) July 28, 2026
Take a look at the new off-spinner, who set the stage on fire with his stunning 5/49 in the Duleep Trophy final. 👌 pic.twitter.com/VIlTxFDhAy
The Ranji Trophy breakthrough
Saransh played a crucial role in Madhya Pradesh’s historic maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2022.
In the final against Mumbai at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, he produced one of the defining performances of his career by scoring a valuable half-century alongside Rajat Patidar before contributing key wickets with the ball. That all-round display helped Madhya Pradesh secure the decisive first-innings lead that laid the foundation for their first national championship.
His rise also coincided with working under veteran coach Chandrakant Pandit, who helped transform him from a fringe squad member into one of the team’s match-winning performers.
India A performances sealed the deal
While Saransh had remained outside the IPL spotlight, his performances for India A kept him firmly on the selectors’ radar.
Against Sri Lanka A, he produced one of his strongest displays in recent months, taking six wickets before scoring an unbeaten 70 in the second unofficial Test. Those performances demonstrated exactly what India wanted ahead of another spin-heavy Test assignment in Sri Lanka.
His ability to contribute with both bat and ball on turning pitches made him a natural replacement once Washington Sundar became unavailable.
Cricket runs in the family
Saransh’s journey has another interesting link to Indian domestic cricket.
His father, Subodh Jain, also represented Madhya Pradesh as a right-arm off-spinner, featuring in nine Ranji Trophy matches. While he never progressed to the Indian team, his son has now realised a dream that had remained unfinished in the family.
The IPL snub that never defined him
Despite becoming one of India’s most reliable domestic all-rounders, Saransh has never played in the Indian Premier League.
He registered for the IPL auctions in 2024, 2025 and 2026 but remained unsold each time, even after making the final shortlist in one of the auctions.
That absence, however, did little to derail his red-ball ambitions.
Instead, India’s selectors rewarded the traditional route, years of consistent domestic performances, proving there is still space for long-format specialists to earn international recognition without the IPL spotlight.
With Shubman Gill leading India into a new World Test Championship cycle, Saransh Jain now has the opportunity to convert more than a decade of perseverance into an international debut.