I was certain I would play Test cricket for India: 33-year-old Saransh Jain

An injury to Washington Sundar proved to be a blessing in disguise for Saransh Jain. The 33-year-old wasn’t surprised when he got a call-up to India’s Test squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. However, he did not expect it to happen so early. 

Saransh says he was carrying out his morning rituals and was driving on his way to the temple, and that is exactly when his phone started buzzing a little more than often. He had to stop the car by the side and check if he had actually made it to the Indian team. The moment he reached back home, everyone in his family got emotional, as Saransh had finally become an Indian cricketer.

“I was heading towards the temple and was driving. That’s when I checked my phone and saw around 10 to 12 missed calls and messages. One of my friends who plays cricket called me and congratulated me. I asked, ‘For what? He said, ‘Hey, the announcement…’ I was surprised and replied, ‘Does the official team announcement even happen this early in the morning?’ He said, ‘It’s out! I’ll send it to you.’

“I pulled my car over to the side, checked my phone, and yes, it was official. It was a fantastic feeling. It’s the culmination of 26 years of hard work and discipline. When I got home, everyone was so emotional, my father, elder brother, wife, mom, everyone,” Saransh told JioStar in an interview.

Saransh lives by the mantra of ‘Age is just a number’, and being called up to the squad at the age of 33 is something that he believes is because of the fielding standards in international cricket these days. He is confident that if the call-up didn’t happen at 33, it would happen certainly by 34 or 35.

“Age is definitely just a number, so 33 is just a number because of the fielding standards these days, which are so high that your age doesn’t show on the field. I knew, if I hadn’t made it into the Indian team today, I would have played in the next year or two, but I was certain I’d make it,” he added.