Saransh Jain’s years of perseverance in domestic cricket finally paid off on Tuesday after the BCCI included the 33-year-old off-spinner in India’s squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder received his maiden national call-up after Washington Sundar was sidelined with an injury, creating a possibility he had long worked towards.
Amongst those best qualified to guage Jain’s abilities is Harbhajan Singh, who closely observed him during a specialist off-spin camp on the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. In an exclusive conversation, the previous India spinner spoke highly of Jain, praising each his skill and temperament while backing him to succeed at the very best level.
Chatting with TimesofIndia.com, Harbhajan said, “He’s a really humble guy who knows exactly what he must do. I wish him all of the easiest because this can be a special moment for him, his family and everybody who has supported him.” The legendary off-spinner added that what impressed him most was the simplicity and clarity of Jain’s approach.
“Saransh Has That Instinct”: Harbhajan On What Sets Jain Apart
In keeping with Harbhajan, Saransh Jain’s biggest strength is his relentless wicket-taking mindset. He believes the off-spinner stands out in an era where many bowlers focus totally on restricting runs, whereas Jain is all the time trying to dismiss batters and make an impact.
Harbhajan said, “As a bowler, you must dictate how the batter plays, not allow the batter to dictate terms. If you make a batter hit towards your fielders, you understand you’re on top of things. The largest difference I see today is that many bowlers don’t have the identical hunger for wickets. Saransh has that instinct.”
He was equally taken with the technical foundations. Harbhajan noted, “He has a superb motion and keeps things easy. He isn’t trying too many fancy variations. He has quite a lot of experience, a superb seam position and tremendous control. Those qualities make an enormous difference.”
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