After IPL 2024, off-spinner Saransh Jain approached coach Chandrakant Pandit with an unusual declaration: he did not want to serve as an IPL net bowler ever again. Having spent six weeks bowling in the Kolkata Knight Riders nets, Saransh made his priorities clear to his coach.

"When I asked why, he said, 'Sir, I'm very keen to play for India in red-ball cricket. If somebody picks me in the auction, I don't mind, but I don't want to go and keep bowling in the nets. Due to white-ball, I may lose out on red-ball. I can always bowl in white-ball cricket later,'" Pandit revealed.

That determination and laser focus on first-class cricket have now culminated in a Test cap for India, validating a long domestic grind under the mentorship of Pandit at Madhya Pradesh.

The Uncorrupted Classical Off-Spinner

When Pandit took charge of Madhya Pradesh in 2020, Saransh was not an established name in the lineup. However, Pandit immediately noticed a rare quality in his action—an art untouched by the flatter trajectories and defensive habits demanded by modern T20 cricket.

"See, normally, what is expected from the spinners, nowadays? If you see most of the spinners are very flat trajectory bowlers, because they keep playing white ball. Very rarely do we see bowlers like Harbhajan. So that was my first impression — that Saransh is an ideal off-spinner," Pandit said.

While classical predecessors like Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin possessed distinctive jump-ups and approaches, Saransh's bowling is much more understated. Yet, the revolutions he puts on the red ball produce deceptive dip and natural drift that trouble top-order batters.

Tactical Evolution and Round-the-Wicket Threat

Saransh has been playing domestic cricket since 2014, but his breakthrough arrived during Madhya Pradesh's memorable 2021-22 Ranji Trophy campaign, where he claimed 13 wickets across the knockout stages to help MP lift the title.

During that run, Pandit introduced a key tactical change, encouraging Saransh to start his spells from round the wicket to right-handers.

"He's the only off spinner, if you consider in India, who comes to bowl the first delivery from round the wicket," Pandit noted. "The first game which he played in a knockout, he'd started over the wicket. But I suggested to him to try bowling from round the wicket. Obviously, no off-spinner will accept that so easily... because they think they will be deprived of leg before dismissals. I had to convince him."

The strategy flourished, with Saransh mastering the angle to trap right-handers leg-before, as evidenced by his fifer in the Duleep Trophy final against Ricky Bhui.

Developing the Complete Lower-Order Package

By the time of his international call-up, Saransh had amassed 188 first-class wickets across 54 matches. He followed his breakthrough 2021-22 season with consistent domestic tallies: 35 wickets in 2022-23, 27 in 2023-24, 21 in 2024-25, and 30 in 2025-26.

Alongside his bowling, Saransh worked diligently to hone his batting, drawing inspiration from Mumbai's Tanush Kotian and addressing technical flaws, such as cutting out a risky late cut shot outside off stump. He contributed key runs down the order, including a half-century in the 2021-22 Ranji final and an unbeaten 70 on India A's tour of Sri Lanka.

With India looking for control and tactical match-ups against left-handers, Saransh's relentless dedication to the red-ball craft has finally earned him his rightful spot on the grandest stage.