‘The Hunger is from Within’: India’s Newest Spinner Saransh Jain Targets Irani Cup Glory in Srinagar

 

Subhayan Chakraborty

For a cricketer traversing the gruelling landscape of India’s domestic circuit, the ultimate validation is the presentation of a Test cap. For 33-year-old off-spinning all-rounder Saransh Jain, that long-cherished dream materialised in August on the sun-baked turf of Colombo. Becoming India’s 320th Test cricketer in the second Test against Sri Lanka was the culmination of over a decade of persistence and toil. Now, with the aura of an international player, Jain is setting his sights on the Irani Cup, where he will feature for the Rest of India squad against the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar starting on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview detailing his journey, Jain opened up on the emotional highs of his debut and his steadfast focus on the road ahead.

Stepping into the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium for the Irani fixture, Jain acknowledges that the dynamics of his career have fundamentally shifted. “It will absolutely be a bit different because when you return to domestic cricket after playing a Test match, the team has higher expectations of you since you’ve become an international player,” Jain reflects. Despite the elevated expectations, his personal philosophy remains grounded in service to the collective. “I will try my best to fulfil whatever role my team assigns me,” he says.

Preparation for the prestigious first-class fixture has been rigorous, but the atmosphere within the Rest of India camp is decidedly positive. “Regarding preparation, we had a very good session on Tuesday,” Jain notes. “There was a great vibe visible across the entire squad, and the whole team looked in very good shape”.

A significant factor contributing to this harmonious environment is the leadership of Rishabh Pant. Known for his audacious stroke-play and vibrant personality, Pant’s captaincy style has been remarkably reassuring for the squad. “I think he seems like the most chill captain to me,” Jain says warmly. “He is just as smart on the field, but normally, both on and off the field, he keeps the players very relaxed”.

Pant’s core philosophy, which he communicated clearly to the squad during their initial huddle in Srinagar, revolves around simplicity and empowerment. “His main advice is just to play normal cricket; there’s no need to do anything extraordinary because things happen in normal cricket,” Jain explains. Under Pant’s stewardship, the dressing-room operates democratically. “The message was that everyone has freedom; whoever wants to do what, or discuss their plans, can come and tell him. Then the team will decide what to do,” he adds.

While assembling a Rest of India squad requires rapidly forging chemistry among players from diverse regional backgrounds, Jain remains unfazed by the challenge. “All the players are quite smart, so it isn’t necessary to know someone deeply on a personal level to understand things,” he explains. “When you see them as professional players, you understand what they are demanding and what their nature is”.

This natural adaptability was precisely what Jain leaned on when he was first drafted into the Indian dressing room in Sri Lanka. “When you start playing cricket, you have two dreams: first, to play Ranji Trophy… and second, to play for the Indian team,” he shares. “Getting what you’ve waited for over such a long time brings a unique excitement.” He credits the welcoming culture fostered by head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Shubman Gill and the senior players for easing his transition to the highest level. “I never felt like an outsider or had any hesitation talking to anyone, whether it was GG sir, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, or Rishabh Pant,” he notes.

The eve of his Test debut, however, was still filled with the inevitable tension that accompanies a lifelong milestone. Gambhir’s advice at the nets the day prior was brutally honest yet profoundly comforting. “He told me, ‘I know it’s your first game, you might not be able to sleep tonight. But don’t fight it if you feel pressure; just accept it’,” Jain recalls. As predicted, the rest was elusive. “I did get some sleep, but it was a bit late. I tried not to let it happen, but naturally, the pressure gets to you a bit,” he admits.

To protect the team’s confidentiality, Jain kept the momentous news from his family, allowing them to discover it organically. “The team prefers things stay within the group, and sometimes family members might accidentally tell others,” he explains. “I didn’t want to risk it, so I decided not to tell them.” His family found out while watching the television on the matchday morning. Receiving cap number 320 from veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was a profoundly moving experience. “When Jaddu bhai gave me the cap, the feeling was completely different. It gave me goosebumps,” he says. The milestone visibly moved his father, Subodh Jain, a former Ranji Trophy player who had fought his own battles to see his son succeed. “Fathers don’t usually cry in front of their sons, but that was a factor,” Jain adds softly.

On the field in Colombo, Jain encountered the stark realities of international cricket on a slow, unresponsive pitch. “I felt I bowled well, but luck wasn’t entirely on my side,” he assesses, pointing to a crucial moment when a favourable LBW decision against Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha was agonisingly overturned upon review. “But based on the calibre of the bowler I am, I felt I need to do even better for my team.” So what was the message from the team management? “They just told me after the session what could be done next. They didn’t put any harsh pressure on me. Everyone knew it was a soft Kookaburra ball and my second game — my first India A game was with the Kookaburra, and my second was this Test match. The ball became soft, and the wicket felt a bit too slow. It felt like when Jaddu bhai bowled a bit quicker, it worked better,” he says.

Bowling on such slow turners demands immense physical exertion and technical precision. “You have to extract bite and bounce from the wicket,” Jain details. “If you bowl slow and slightly back, modern batsmen go to the back foot very quickly. You have to put a bit more effort into a pitch where the ball isn’t doing much”.

Looking ahead, Jain’s brief foray into the international arena has only intensified his appetite for sustained success. “Hunger isn’t from what people say, but from within myself to play more and do better for India. Critics will keep on criticising,” he asserts with quiet determination. “If someone judges based on just one game, I don’t consider them a true cricket fan, because everyone goes through phases where they don’t take wickets for a few innings. Even legends had their struggles, but it’s their variations and actions that count.”

When he returned home to Indore, the magnitude of his achievement truly sank in. “When I went home, everyone was there, relatives had come over, and we celebrated. For a country of 150 crore people, wearing cap number 320 is a big deal”.

As he prepares to take the field in the crisp autumn air of Srinagar, Jain’s objectives are crystal clear. “Right now, my focus is playing the Irani Cup and trying to make the Rest of India the champions,” he states unequivocally. Armed with the invaluable lessons of his international debut — primary among them to “trust your skills, and understand that all bowlers are different” — Saransh Jain is ready to write the next chapter of his cricketing story.

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