Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Saransh Jain was seen bowling in India’s net session in Colombo ahead of their second and final Test of the Sri Lanka tour. Sri Lanka’s left-hand-heavy batting lineup could tempt Shubman Gill and Co. to hand the off-spinner his Test debut.
Jain earned his maiden India call-up after being picked in the squad for the Sri Lanka Test series. The 33-year-old remained wicketless after bowling 15 overs across two innings in the three-day warm-up game against Sri Lanka XI. He did not feature in the playing XI in the visitors’ 165-run victory in the opening Test in Galle.
A video surfaced on social media ahead of the second Test, in which Jain was spotted bowling in the nets alongside left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar.
Watch the video here:
Saransh Jain has 188 wickets to his name from 54 first-class matches. He is also a handy left-handed batter with an average of 31.75 and a run tally of 2,223.
Team India’s spin-bowling coach opens up on Saransh Jain’s potential debut ahead of SL vs IND 2026 2nd Test
As per a Times Now report, India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule revealed that India will decide their playing XI on the eve of the second Test. Commenting on Saransh Jain’s potential debut, he acknowledged that Sri Lanka have many left-handers in their side.
Notably, India played three left-arm spinners, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar, in the Galle Test. Suthar claimed his maiden 10-wicket haul in Tests and was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the clash. Jadeja picked up four wickets across two innings, while Kuldeep finished the Test with a solitary scalp.
Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were the two frontline seamers in the playing XI. It remains to be seen whether India would decide to replace any of those bowlers with Jain, considering Sri Lanka are likely to have three left-handers in the top seven. The second and final Test of the series will be played at Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, beginning Sunday, August 23.
Edited by Aditya Suketu Desai