India off-spinner Saransh Jain has received his Test cap and will make his debut in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The 33-year-old all-rounder replaces Kuldeep Yadav after India decided to strengthen their spin attack for the second match.
India took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after a commanding 165-run victory in Galle. Kuldeep managed only 1/103, while Manav Suthar claimed 10 wickets and Ravindra Jadeja took four. He was the only frontline Indian bowler who failed to bowl a maiden over in the recent match.
Saransh Jain Receives Maiden Test Cap From Ravindra Jadeja
Saransh Jain received his maiden India Test cap at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday, August 23. His teammates congratulated him before Ravindra Jadeja presented the cap and hugged him. Head coach Gautam Gambhir also wished him ahead of the Test.
At 33, Jain made his India debut after more than a decade in domestic cricket. He made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in 2014 and established himself as a reliable all-rounder.
Jain has taken 188 wickets and scored 2,223 runs in 54 first-class matches. He averages 27.30 with the ball and 31.75 with the bat, including two centuries and 14 half-centuries. In the 2025-26 season, he took 30 wickets and scored 518 runs for Madhya Pradesh.
Jain also impressed for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy, taking 16 wickets and scoring 136 runs to win the Player of the Tournament award. His all-round ability gives India useful depth in the lower order.
Kuldeep Yadav Ruled Out Due to Infection, Saransh Jain Makes Test Debut
India captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Kuldeep Yadav missed the second Test because of an infection, with Saransh Jain replacing him in the playing XI. Gill also felt the Colombo pitch looked better for batting than the Galle surface and expected it to change as the match progressed.
“Batting first, yes. [On the pitch] It looks like a much harder, much better surface compared to Galle,” Gill said at the toss.
“Galle was also a very good wicket, but I think as the game went on, it got a little bit slower and the ball started to turn. We’re expecting the same, but I think for the first two or three days, I think it’ll be a really good wicket to bat on.”
“[Playing XI] Kuldeep, unfortunately, had some infections, so he misses out, and Saransh makes his debut for India,” he added.
IND vs SL 2nd Test Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
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