India sprung a surprise with the selection of Saransh Jain for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, handing the all-rounder his maiden international call-up. The opportunity came after Washington Sundar was ruled out through injury, opening the door for Saransh to break into the senior squad. The left-handed batter and off-spinner has steadily built an impressive domestic record, playing a key role in Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy triumph under Chandrakant Pandit. He further strengthened his case on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, picking up six wickets across two matches and scoring a determined unbeaten 70. With the Indian team in the middle of a transition and still searching for a long-term successor to Ravichandran Ashwin, Saransh now has a chance to stake his claim. While Washington remains the leading option, questions over his wicket-taking impact have kept the competition for the specialist spin-bowling role wide open.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin welcomed Saransh Jain’s maiden India call-up, saying the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has earned the opportunity through consistent performances. Ashwin praised Saransh’s attacking style of off-spin bowling and expressed hope that, despite the stiff competition for places in India’s spin department, the newcomer would get a chance to showcase his abilities at the international level.
“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,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
“Important to define Sundar’s role”
Ashwin also weighed in on Sundar’s role in the Indian team, saying the all-rounder has often been judged unfairly because of a lack of clarity over his primary responsibility. The former India spinner stressed that the team management must clearly define whether Sundar is being picked mainly as a batter or as one of the frontline bowlers, arguing that such clarity is essential for his long-term success.
“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.
