Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Saransh Jain became only the third Indian cricketer since the IPL began in 2008 to make his international debut before featuring in the league. He received his Test cap ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Sunday. The 33-year-old left-handed batter and right-arm off-spinner was handed India cap number 320 by teammate Ravindra Jadeja in the team huddle. He replaced Kuldeep Yadav who was ruled out due to an infection as Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat. Saransh Jain’s debut at 33 years and 145 days also made him India’s oldest Test debutant of the 21st century and the first Indian to debut in Tests after turning 33 since Robin Singh in 1998.

He joins Murali Vijay, who debuted in the 2008 Nagpur Test against Australia and Mohammed Shami, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Delhi in 2013, as the only players to represent India before playing in the IPL. Saransh Jain had gone unsold in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 auctions and had never played a match in the league. Saransh is the son of former Madhya Pradesh off-spinner Subodh Jain.

Saransh Jain makes Test debut after strong domestic performance

Saransh made his first-class debut in the 2014-15 season. He came up as a key performer after 2022, helping Madhya Pradesh win their first Ranji Trophy title. In the latest Ranji season he scored 518 runs at 57.55 and took 30 wickets at 20.43. He was named Player of the Series in the Duleep Trophy for Central Zone and impressed on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka with six wickets and an unbeaten 70. Overall in 54 first-class matches he has scored 2,223 runs at an average of 31.75, including two centuries and 14 fifties, while claiming 188 wickets at 27.30. 

While representing Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy, he scored two half-centuries and claimed 16 wickets in two matches to finish as Player of the Series. Those performances, followed by an unbeaten 70 and six wickets for India A in Sri Lanka meant that he was called up in the squad after the injury to Washington Sundar. India already 1-0 up in the two-match series after winning the first Test in Galle by 165 runs. They ended the first day of the second Test with 300 runs on the board. Saransh was unbeaten on four and he will be looking to have an impact in this match.