Colombo, Aug 24 (IANS) Confident of his abilities after years of consistent domestic grind, off-spin bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain on Monday said he always maintained a deep faith in earning his Test cap, adding that it was only a matter of time for him to grab it.

Indore-based Saransh got his Test debut in the ongoing game against Sri Lanka at the SSC Ground after left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was ruled out due to a viral infection and received his cap from senior left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

"I had mixed emotions. When I received the cap, I was happy and excited, resulting in mixed feelings. When I started playing cricket, of course, every player’s dream is to represent India. Mine was the same - I wanted to play for India.

"And even if I hadn’t received the cap yesterday, I definitely believed that I would represent India in the next one or two years," said Jain in a chat with broadcasters ahead of day two’s play.

Highlighting the rigorous demands of playing red-ball format for a long time for Madhya Pradesh, Central Zone and India ‘A’, Jain stated that mastering the longest version of the game serves as the ultimate benchmark for a cricketer and naturally eases the transition into white-ball cricket.

"I feel that red-ball cricket requires a little more skill, you could say, and it requires more time. So I believe that if you become very good at red-ball cricket and develop your skills there, white-ball cricket will also become easier for you," he said.

Though Jain got out for six early on day two’s play, his off-spin bowling will come into sharper focus later when he joins forces with Jadeja and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar.

--IANS

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