320 on Sunday is a touching story of never-dying belief in himself and diligent work to improve his skills in red-ball format, for which he was even ready to let go a chance to earn an IPL contract.
It’s not that he is not averse or keen to bowl with a white ball but he wanted to work on his red-ball bowling,” Pandit told PTI. Saransh Jain’s journey to becoming India’s Test cap No. Chandrakant Pandit, Jain’s coach at Madhya Pradesh, clearly remembers that open conversation with his ward, which left him an immensely impressed man. “He did mention to me, especially last season, that he wants to focus on his red ball game. He was very clear about it.
“The reason he said then was that rather than spending time with the white ball as a net bowler, he preferred to work on the red ball game and eventually he became a state player,” Pandit, who took over MP’s coaching in 2020, added. So, this might just be the beginning for him,” he said. He always likes to use his variations, and not just push the ball flatter,” he said. Pandit said Jain has also developed his batting skills over the last couple of seasons, as he felt that it was a prerequisite for an India selection.
“But he doesn’t want to spend two months bowling with white ball as a net bowler. I really appreciated that he kept on working on his red ball game. He does bowl well, even white ball, when he plays for our state. “First season when I came in he was struggling to establish himself. The lack of game time had affected his confidence and I had to talk to him and give him that comfort, telling him to play freely without worrying about other things like selection. But what made Pandit zeroed in on a non-regular player like Jain? “If you see Harbhajan and Ashwin and now Saransh, they offer flight, look for turn. So, I feel he is the typical Test match bowler.
