‘I’m not a batsman who can bowl off-spin…’: Harbhajan Singh behind Saransh Jain’s breakthrough in India
Harbhajan Singh with Saransh Jain at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru (Saransh Jain | Instagram) New Delhi: On March 27 this year, Saransh Jain posted photos and videos on Instagram and thanked former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for the valuable lessons he learned during the five-day camp at the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.In the caption, Saransh mentioned the line Harbhajan Singh told him that touched him the most. It said: “In order to accomplish something, one must do something. (To achieve something, you don’t have to lose something, you have to do something).” Saransh further wrote, “These are not just words. They were deeply felt and will stay with me.”Now, months later, the 33-year-old has earned his first India call-up.“He is a very humble guy who knows exactly what he has to do. I wish him all the best as this is a special moment for him, his family and everyone who supported him,” Harbhajan told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.Saransh, who has played extensive first-class cricket and was a regular for Madhya Pradesh, impressed the selectors with his consistency during the domestic grind and was recently rewarded with a call-up to India A. In his India A outing against Sri Lanka A, Saransh took seven wickets in two unofficial Tests. He took six wickets in the second match and scored an unbeaten 70 in the first innings, paving the way for India’s 10-wicket win.
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 through a match teaches you a lot. The more you play, the more you learn,” says Harbhajan while praising Saransh’s domestic grind.Washington Sundar’s injury opened the door for Saransh. With Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav in the team, Saransh is the fourth spinner but the lone off-spinner. If he goes on to make his debut, Saransh will become the first Indian player to debut in 33 years since Robin Singh in 1998.“At 33, he is still young for a spinner, but now he has the experience of bowling to some of the best spinners in domestic cricket. I am grateful to have had 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 doesn’t try too many fancy variations. He has a lot of experience, excellent seam position and tremendous control
Harbhajan Singh
Over the years, Saransh’s flight, dip and high-arm action have proved difficult for batsmen to pick out. These are exactly the attributes that caught Harbhajan Singh’s eye during the specialist off-spinners camp at the CoE.“The first thing I noticed was his action. He has very good action and keeps things simple. He doesn’t try too many fancy variations. He has a lot of experience, 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 approach. His mindset is always about wickets. Many bowlers today focus on simply getting through their overs instead of thinking about bowling. A bowler’s primary job has always been to take wickets, not just contain runs,” adds Harbwick 03 uphajan in17 picked India.
Harbhajan Singh and Saransh Jain (Instagram)
The two-time World Cup winner also shared a conversation he had with the off-spinners during the camp.“I told the boys at that camp that as a spinner we are often too quick to convince ourselves that nothing is happening on the pitch. But the wicket doesn’t change. It’s up to us to adapt to the conditions, whether the surface is spinning, flat, slow or bouncy. Every bowler has to learn how to succeed on the wicket in front of him. Experience is the greatest teacher unless you can do it yourself.”“If the pitch doesn’t offer a lot of help, you have to find other ways to create opportunities. You may have to change majors, stay patient and consistently aim in one area.”
As a bowler, you should dictate how the batsman plays and not let him dictate the conditions. When you hit the ball toward 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 batsman plays, not let the batsman dictate the conditions. When you hit the batting towards your fielders, you know you are 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 blooms late. Although he made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2014, it wasn’t until 2022 that he really made his mark on the domestic stage. Having featured in just eight first-class matches in his first eight years, the off-spinner played a key role in Madhya Pradesh’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph, taking 13 wickets. Since then it has only grown.
Who is Saransh Jain?
In the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season, he amassed 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and took 30 wickets at 20.43. This followed a stellar Duleep Trophy campaign for Central Zone, where he scored two half-centuries and took 16 wickets in just two matches to be named player of the series, helping Central Zone to its first title in 11 years.Whether he gets the chance to make his India debut or not, Harbhajan Singh believes Saransh has the right skills to succeed at the international level.“He is not a batsman who can mix off-spin. He is an off-spinner who is hungry for wickets and knows how to put a price on his wicket with bat in hand,” says Harbhajan.