One of the newest players in the Indian Test team is Saransh Jain, who was chosen for the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka. He can now play as an off-spin bowling all-rounder thanks to his years of dedication in first-class cricket.
In a recent interview, Saransh talked about how his journey began when he was a little child going to a cricket club with his older brother and father, Subodh Jain, a former Ranji player. Later, Saransh chose a fifer against a strong Tamil Nadu team to make his Ranji Trophy debut. Since then, Saransh says, he has become acclimated to playing the game in a disciplined manner.
“I used to go to the club with my dad and elder brother in the beginning. When I was younger, I just went along to play with a tennis ball and hang out while my brother played with a leather ball. I began playing with the leather ball as I got older, participating in games for every age group.
In my maiden Ranji match against Tamil Nadu in 2014–15, I claimed five wickets against a team that had seasoned players like Dinesh Karthik. Saransh told JioStar, “That made me realise that cricket isn’t as difficult if you put in hard work and are disciplined. From that point on, I knew if I wanted to play at a higher level, I had to focus on things which I can control.” I continued doing that, and now I’m here on behalf of India.
My primary weapon since my age group days has been consistency—the ability to hit the same location repeatedly because the batsman will eventually take a chance to score. “I just want to stick to my basics; I’m not overthinking how the pitches will behave in Sri Lanka or how many wickets I’ll get,” he continued.
Saransh also revealed his childhood cricket and life heroes.
He really credits his father, Subodh, for helping him fulfil his dream of becoming a cricket player. He considers Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin to be his off-spin instructors, in addition to his family. He also shared an anecdote about Harbhajan’s advice to him during a camp at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
I began playing cricket because of my father, a former Ranji player. I play cricket for him because he is my biggest hero. My favourite bowlers are Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin. I haven’t talked to them much, but even just watching their bowling videos has taught me a lot. I learned a lot from Harbhajan Singh during the week-long program at the Center of Excellence.
They claimed I didn’t need to make any major skill modifications because I already had a lot of match experience. But one piece of wisdom he gave me stuck with me: “You don’t have to lose something in order to gain something.” “You have to put in the work.” That statement remained with me, and every time I challenge myself to work hard, I still find a lot of resonance in it.
