‘Not a batter who can bowl off-spin… ‘: The Harbhajan Singh hand behind Saransh Jain’s India breakthrough | Cricket News
New Delhi: On March 27 this year, Saransh Jain posted photos and videos on Instagram, thanking former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for the valuable lessons he learnt during a five-day camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.In the caption, Saransh mentioned a line Harbhajan Singh told him that touched him the most. It read: “Kuch paane ke liye kuch khona nahi, kuch karna padta hai (To achieve something, you don’t have to lose something, you have to do something).” Saransh further wrote: “These aren’t just words. They were deeply felt and will stay with me.”Now, months later, the 33-year-old has earned his maiden India call-up.“He is a very humble guy who knows exactly what he needs to do. I wish him all the very best because this is a special moment for him, his family and everyone who has supported him,” Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.Saransh, who has played extensive First-Class cricket and has been a regular for Madhya Pradesh, impressed the selectors with his consistency during the domestic grind and was recently rewarded with an India A call-up. In his outing for India A against Sri Lanka A, Saransh picked up seven wickets in the two unofficial Tests. In the second match, he claimed six wickets and scored an unbeaten 70 in the first innings, paving the way for India’s 10-wicket victory.
Saransh Jain selected for India vs Sri Lanka test match.
“He has worked incredibly hard and spent many years in domestic cricket, which, in many ways, is tougher than people realise. Bowling long spells of 40 or 50 overs across a match teaches you a lot. The more you bowl, the more you learn,” says Harbhajan, while lauding Saransh’s domestic grind.Washington Sundar’s injury opened the door for Saransh. With Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav in the squad, Saransh is the fourth spinner but the lone off-spinner. If he goes on to make his debut, Saransh will become the first India player to debut after the age of 33 since Robin Singh in 1998.“At 33, he is still young for a spinner, but he now has the experience of bowling to some of the best players of spin in domestic cricket. I am grateful that I got the opportunity to spend four or five days with him,” says Harbhajan, backing Saransh to do well.
Saransh Jain has a very good action and keeps things simple. He isn’t trying too many fancy variations. He has a lot of experience, an excellent seam position and tremendous control
Harbhajan Singh
Over the years, Saransh’s flight, dip and high-arm action have proved difficult for batters to pick. Those are exactly the attributes that caught Harbhajan Singh’s attention during the specialist camp for off-spinners at the CoE.“The first thing I noticed was his action. He has a very good action and keeps things simple. He isn’t trying too many fancy variations. He has a lot of experience, an excellent seam position and tremendous control. Those qualities make a big difference,” says Harbhajan.“Experience teaches you to trust your strengths and bowl the right line and length consistently. What impressed me the most was his attitude. His mindset is always about taking wickets. Today, many bowlers are focused on simply getting through their overs instead of thinking about dismissing batters. A bowler’s primary job has always been to take wickets, not just contain runs,” adds Harbhajan, who picked up 417 wickets in 103 Tests for India.
Harbhajan Singh and Saransh Jain (Instagram)
The two-time World Cup winner also shared the conversation he had with the off-spinners during the camp.“In that camp, I told the boys that we, as spinners, often convince ourselves too quickly that nothing is happening on the pitch. But the wicket is not going to change. It is up to us to adapt to the conditions, whether the surface is turning, flat, slow or bouncy. Every bowler has to learn how to succeed on the wicket in front of him. Experience is the greatest teacher. I can guide you, but unless you experience those situations yourself, you won’t truly learn,” he says.“If the pitch isn’t offering much assistance, you have to find other ways to create opportunities. You may need to change your field, remain patient and bowl consistently in one area.
As a bowler, you should dictate how the batter plays, not allow the batter to dictate terms. When you make a batter hit towards your fielders, you know you’re in control. The biggest difference I see today is that many bowlers don’t have the same hunger for wickets. Saransh has that instinct
Harbhajan Singh
“As a bowler, you should dictate how the batter plays, not allow the batter to dictate terms. When you make a batter hit towards your fielders, you know you’re in control. The biggest difference I see today is that many bowlers don’t have the same hunger for wickets. Saransh has that instinct,” he adds.Saransh is a late bloomer. Although he made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2014, it wasn’t until 2022 that he truly announced himself on the domestic stage. Having featured in just eight first-class matches in his first eight years, the off-spinner played a pivotal role in Madhya Pradesh’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph, picking up 13 wickets. Since then, he has only grown in stature.
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In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, he amassed 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and picked up 30 wickets at 20.43. That followed a stellar Duleep Trophy campaign for Central Zone, where he scored two half-centuries and claimed 16 wickets in just two matches to be named Player of the Series, steering Central Zone to their first title in 11 years.Whether he gets the chance to make his India debut or not, Harbhajan Singh believes Saransh has the right skill set to succeed at the international level.“He is not a batter who can bowl off-spin. He is an off-spinner who is hungry to take wickets and knows how to put a price on his wicket with the bat in his hands,” says Harbhajan.
