Saransh Jain Handed Test Debut At 33 As Kuldeep Yadav Sits Out

Saransh Jain will make his Test debut for India in Colombo. The 33-year-old off-spinner was named in the XI for the second Test against Sri Lanka after Kuldeep Yadav was ruled out. India won the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Sunday. They chose to bat. They lead the series 1-0.

The BCCI said Kuldeep was unavailable while recovering from a viral illness. He had missed net sessions in the build-up. Jain came in as the direct replacement. The news agency IANS reported that Ravindra Jadeja presented him with his cap.

Twelve seasons for Madhya Pradesh

Jain made his Ranji Trophy debut for Madhya Pradesh in December 2014. He has waited twelve seasons for this. In 54 first-class matches he has taken 188 wickets at 27.30. He has also scored 2,223 runs at 31.75. That reads more like an allrounder than a specialist spinner.

ESPNcricinfo reports that he is the son of the former first-class cricketer Subodh Jain. The same profile credits him with 13 wickets in the knockout rounds of Madhya Pradesh's maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2022. It puts his most recent Ranji season at 518 runs at 57.55 and 30 wickets at 20.43.

The form behind the call

Jain was named player of the series in the 2025 Duleep Trophy. He took 16 wickets in two matches for Central Zone. He carried that into the India A tour of Sri Lanka, where he made an unbeaten 70 and took six wickets in the second match. Selectors had a recent sample of him bowling on the island.

India's spin stack in Colombo

India go in with three spin options and two seamers. Jadeja and the left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, himself a recent debutant, join Jain. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna take the new ball. India's XI, as listed by IANS, read:

• Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal
• Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
• Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel
• Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar
• Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Kuldeep's absence removes the wrist-spin option from an attack that is otherwise all finger spin. Suthar and Jadeja turn the ball into the right-hander. Jain turns it away. His batting also lengthens an order that already carries Jadeja at six and Jurel at seven.

Sri Lanka's changes and the series picture

India won the first Test at Galle by 165 runs and can take the series here. Sri Lanka, led by Dhananjaya de Silva, brought in the uncapped opener Kamil Mishara and kept Pasindu Sooriyabandara after Dinesh Chandimal's concussion. Niroshan Dickwella keeps wicket. Prabath Jayasuriya remains the senior spinner.

A series is on the line at the SSC. Jain waited twelve years to walk out for one.