- Who is Samar Jain?
- A chance to debut at the age of 33
- The struggle was successful
The second Test match between India and Sri Lanka is currently underway. Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped from the final 11 in this match. 33-year-old off-spinner Samantha Jain has been given a chance in his place. The spin all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh made his Test debut against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Summary Jain has been playing domestic cricket for many years and now he has the honor of playing in the jersey of Team India. Before his debut, Ravindra Jadeja handed him his Test cap in a gathering of Team India players.
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At the age of 33, Samarhan created a special record
Summary Jain made his Test debut for India at the age of 33 years and 145 days. With this, he became India's oldest Test debutant since 1999. Robin Singh was the first player to make his Test debut for India at the age of 33. He made his debut at the age of 35 years and 23 days in Harare Test against Zimbabwe in 1998.
Who is Samantha Jain?
Summary Jain is a spin bowling all-rounder who plays domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh. He was born on 31 March 1993 in Indore. His father, Subodh Jain, is a former first-class cricketer for Madhya Pradesh who played nine matches for the team. He fully supported his son Samarshan Jain in his goal of becoming a cricketer. Summary Has been playing domestic cricket since 2014 and now after 12 years he got this opportunity. Summons played a key role in Madhya Pradesh's Ranji Trophy win in 2022. In the 2025–26 season, he scored 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and took 30 wickets.
Excellent performance in domestic cricket
Summary Jain made his first-class debut in December 2014 against Tamil Nadu. Since then he has taken 188 wickets in 54 first-class matches. He has an economy rate of 3.01 and has taken five wickets 10 times. Summary Jain has proved his mettle in batting as well. He has scored 2223 runs at an average of 31.75 with two centuries and 14 fifties.
In the 2025 Duleep Trophy, Samar played a key role in the Central Zone title. He took 16 wickets in the tournament. For this he was awarded as serial hero. He then performed impressively on the India 'A' team's tour of Sri Lanka. In a four-day match against Sri Lanka 'A' at Rigol, Samantha took six wickets and scored an unbeaten 70.
Got a chance to replace Kuldeep Yadav
Washington Sundar was not available for the Test series against Sri Lanka due to injury. Hence, the selection committee included 33-year-old off-spinner Samarshan Jain in the squad. Summons could not participate in the first Test. BCCI informed that star spinner Kuldeep Yadav is not available for the second Test due to fever. This gave Samaram Jain an opportunity to make his debut.
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