For Saransh Jain, Washington Sundar’s injury proved to be a blessing. The 33-year-old wasn’t surprised to be called up to India’s Test team for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. But he didn’t think it would happen so fast.
Saransh says that while he was travelling to the temple and going through his morning rituals, his phone started vibrating a little more regularly. He had to stop to confirm if he had arrived at the Indian team.
As soon as Saransh got back home, his family started crying since he had finally succeeded as an Indian cricket player.
“I was driving in the direction of the temple. At that point, I looked at my phone and saw that I had between ten and twelve missed calls and messages. I received a call from a cricket-playing acquaintance who complimented me. “For what?” I enquired. “Hey, the announcement,” he remarked. “Does the official team announcement even happen this early in the morning?” I said in shock. “It’s out!” he exclaimed. I’ll forward it to you.
“Yes, it was official when I pulled my car to the side and looked at my phone. It was a wonderful sensation. It is the result of 26 years of diligence and self-control. In an interview with JioStar, Saransh said, “Everyone was so emotional when I got home, my father, elder brother, wife, mum, everyone.”
Saransh feels he was called up to the squad at the age of 33 because of the present standards of fielding in international cricket. His motto is “Age is just a number.” He is certain that if the call-up hadn’t happened at 33, it would have happened by 34 or 35.
“These days, fielding standards are so excellent that your age doesn’t reflect on the pitch, so 33 is just a number. Age is definitely just a number. I was sure I would make it, but I knew that if I hadn’t been selected for the Indian squad today, I would have played in the following year or two,” he continued.
