Saransh Jain makes India Test debut in Colombo at 33; Kuldeep Yadav misses out
Saransh Jain made his India Test debut in Colombo on Sunday in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club, while Kuldeep Yadav was left out of the playing XI.
India won the toss and captain Shubman Gill elected to bat; Gill confirmed Jain's debut at the toss and revealed that the left-arm wrist-spinner had been dropped because of an "infection". India entered the second Test with a 1-0 lead after their 165-run victory in Galle. Kuldeep had played the opening Test but managed only one wicket from 25 overs, while Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Manav Suthar made a greater impact with the ball.
Jain received his maiden India Test cap from teammate Ravindra Jadeja during the team huddle before the start of the Colombo Test. He had strengthened his case with consistent domestic performances and a productive stint on India A's recent tour, taking six wickets across two matches and scoring an unbeaten 70. His selection supplies India with another right-arm finger-spin option and adds batting depth to the lower order, fitting into a side that continues to favour a five-bowler combination.
India's Playing XI for the Colombo Test was named as Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Born in Indore on March 31, 1993, Jain made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in the 2014-15 season. His father, Subodh Jain, also represented MP in the Ranji Trophy, and Saransh developed his cricket at Indore's Vijay Club alongside Rajat Patidar.
Jain played a key role in Madhya Pradesh's maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2021-22, taking 13 wickets across the knockout stages and scoring 57 in the final against Mumbai. He took 35 wickets and scored 360 runs in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, earning the Lala Amarnath Award for the tournament's best all-rounder. In the 2025 Duleep Trophy representing Central Zone he took 16 wickets in two matches and registered half-centuries in both the semi-final and final to finish as Player of the Series, and he carried that form into the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy with 518 runs at 57.55 and 30 wickets at 20.43; across 54 first-class matches he has accumulated 2,223 runs and 188 wickets.
Kuldeep's omission initially appeared to be a selection decision after his quiet outing in Galle; since making his Test debut in 2017 he has played only 19 Tests, with team combinations and India's preference for finger spinners repeatedly limiting his opportunities. He was left out of all 10 Tests on India's preceding tours of Australia and England. India head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Kuldeep ahead of the Colombo Test, saying: "Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes, it's up to the captain as well (team selection). It's not about under-bowling. It's about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important." Gambhir added: "For a very long period of time, we get Kuldeep doing the right things. We know how successful and how effective he can be in a good condition." India's spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule also offered support: "He's been bowling extremely well. It's just the situation which arose in Galle, he had to play a different role. For me, he has always been a match-winner and he definitely is in the scheme of things," Bahutule said.
The revelation that an "infection" was the reason given for Kuldeep's omission added an unexpected twist to the selection, but for Jain the circumstances are secondary to the opportunity. After years of building his case in domestic cricket, the 33-year-old now has his first chance to show that his all-round skills can make him a valuable part of India's Test setup.
