'They didn't even spare Sachin Tendulkar, right?': India legend has his say on Saha controversy; 'Dropped at his peak'

The India legend feels Wriddhiman Saha is the best wicketkeeper in India presently but with the kind of competition he has and the fact that Saha is at the wrong side of 30s have proven to be detrimental factors behind his axing from the Indian Test setup.

Wriddhiman Saha has stirred the pot in Indian media by opening up on his ouster from the team and later exposing a 'reputed' journalist for forcing the wicketkeeper-batter for an interview. For Saha to speak about the two issues is something people did not expect. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper is usually calm and it is against his nature to go public with stuff that’s happening around him and revealing the minutest of details on Twitter.

Wriddhiman Saha.  (Getty)

It all began when Saha was dropped from India's Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka. Saha has received support from all corners of the Indian cricket fraternity, be it for his stance on the journalist row or for revealing the conversations he has had with coach Rahul Dravid and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. However, the episode continues to take unexpected twists every now and then.

Weighing in on Saha's ouster from the team, former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani is not convinced with the decision. Kirmani feels Saha is the best wicketkeeper in India presently but with the kind of competition he has and the fact that Saha is at the wrong side of 30s have proven to be detrimental factors behind his axing from the Indian Test setup.

"I rate this boy very highly. In my opinion, he is currently India's most technically sound wicketkeeper. But the selection committee, the team management and others have something else on their minds. Unfortunately, he has very stiff competition," Kirmani told SportsKeeda.

"This age factor has been there for a long time now. I was also a victim of this. They didn’t spare even Sachin Tendulkar, right? I believe that a player matures from the time he’s thirty-years old; until then he’s in a learning process. Just like me, Saha has been dropped from the Indian team when he’s at the peak of his career. And why are we only talking about cricketers? What about the administrators?"

Saha decided to skip playing the Ranji Trophy this season for Bengal but Kirmani believes otherwise. The 72-year-old legend, who was part of India’s 1983 World Cup winning squad reckons this is not the right time for Saha to end his career and he should rather focus on making a comeback.

"Well, I exactly don't know how and what they’ve conveyed to him, so I won't be able to comment on it. Irrespective of whatever has happened, Saha should take the matter sportingly and fight it out in the Ranji Trophy to force a comeback," added Kirmani.

"I think he should continue playing as long as he can. I haven't announced my retirement officially. I had to write a letter to the BCCI to get my benefit as a lot of benefit matches were played back in those days."