Saransh Jain benefited greatly from Washington Sundar’s injuries. When he was called up to India’s Test squad for the next series against Sri Lanka, the 33-year-old was not surprised. However, he did not foresee it happening so rapidly.
Saransh reports that his phone started vibrating more regularly as he was doing his morning rituals and driving to the temple. To ensure that he had reached the Indian team, he had to stop.
Saransh’s family burst into tears as soon as he arrived home, knowing that he had finally earned success as an Indian cricket player.
“I drove towards the temple. That’s when I checked my phone and noticed about 10 to 12 missed calls and messages. One of my cricket playing friends called to congratulate me.
I asked, ‘For what? He said, ‘Hey, the announcement…’ I was astonished and responded, ‘Does the formal team announcement even happen this early in the morning?’ He announced, ‘It’s out!’ I will send it to you.
“I pulled my car to the side, checked my phone, and it was official. It was a great feeling. It represents the result of 26 years of hard effort and discipline.
In an interview with JioStar, Saransh stated, “When I got home, everyone was so emotional, my father, elder brother, wife, mum, everyone.”
Saransh believes that the current fielding standards in international cricket are why he was called up to the squad at the age of 33. He lives by the philosophy, “Age is just a number.” He is confident that the call-up would have occurred by 34 or 35 if it had not happened at 33.
“Age is clearly just a number, and 33 is just a number because of today’s fielding standards, which are so good that your age is not visible on the pitch. I knew that if I hadn’t made the Indian team today, I’d play in the next year or two, but I was confident I’d make it,” he said.
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