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‘If I’m never going to play for India…': Saha takes bold step, forgoes Duleep Trophy spot for youngster
Saha said since he won't be considered for the Indian team, he does not want to block a youngster's place by playing in the Duleep Trophy.
Ever since Rishabh Pant's unfortunate car accident, the spotlight has been firmly on the wicketkeeper's role in India's Test side. In T20Is, there are many contenders like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Jitesh Sharma while KL Rahul has made the keeper's spot his own in ODIs but in Test cricket, there is a giant size hole. KS Bharat, who made his debut in The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has played five Tests back-to-back including the WTC final but his returns with the bat have been below-par, to say the least. Kishan is there as a backup but his red-ball numbers also don't ooze confidence.
This is why Wriddhiman Saha's name did the rounds on social media multiple times in the past few times. The veteran stumper was India's first-choice keeper in Tests before Pant took international cricket by storm. Saha was subsequently told by head coach Rahul Dravid that he won't be considered for selection in future as the team management wants to groom Bharat.
Since then, Saha, despite being fit and the best man behind the wickets, has been plying his trade only in domestic cricket - for Tripura after a fallout with the Cricket Association of Bengal - and in IPL for Gujarat Titans.
That Saha, who has three Test centuries and six fifties to his name, is still good enough at this level with the bat was proved when he smashed a free-flowing 54 in the IPL against Chennai Super Kings.
Problems for India started when Pant was sidelined for an indefinite period. Bharat, who was supposed to be Pant's backup, was chosen as the not the first-choice keeper with unfavourable results.
Saha comes in the frame after Ishan Kishan opts out of Duleep Trophy
Saha's name was up for discussion when Ishan Kishan opted out of the Duleep Trophy keeping the West Indies tour in mind. Kishan is likely to be in the Test squad, which is set to depart for the Caribbean island in the first week of July. With the Duleep Trophy starting on June 28, it would have been a bit of a stretch for Kishan. The same logic, however, didn't apply to KS Bharat, who was named in South Zone's squad.
After Kishan conveyed his decision, Tripura selector Jayanta Dey wanted Wriddhiman Saha in the East Zone and he was also contacted. But the 38-year-old said since he won't be considered for the Indian team, he does not want to block a youngster's place by playing in an important tournament like the Duleep Trophy. This opened the doors for Bengal keeper Abhishek Porel, who also made his IPL debut this year for Delhi Capitals.
"To be fair to Wriddhiman, he said that Duleep Trophy is for India hopefuls. If I am never going to play for India, then doesn't make sense in preventing a youngster from making a case. Hence we selected Abhishek Porel, who was the third choice," Jayanta Dey told PTI.
The East Zone side will be led by India A skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and features bright prospects like Shahbaz Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Anukul Roy.
