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Keeper Saha finds feet with the bat
GROS ISLET, ST. LUCIA: There is always this brewing feeling that Wriddhiman Saha keeps under selling himself. He is one of the most reclusive cricketers in the India
GROS ISLET, ST. LUCIA: There is always this brewing feeling that Wriddhiman Saha keeps under selling himself. He is one of the most reclusive cricketers in the India dressing room, barely speaks English but is upfront enough to say that it’ s best if he is asked questions in Hindi or better, Bengali.
He joined Twitter three years back but even some time back Saha used to give quizzical looks when told about the phenomenon of re-tweeting. As long as he keeps wickets well and scores some runs, Saha is least bothered about his public image or the lack of it rather. In short, he is a PR disaster and possibly the last person ready to face the glare of an India press conference.
In this age of technology when a person doesn’t speak up for himself in public, or at least promise to try and live up to expectations in chaste English or Hindi, it somehow becomes more important that his records speak for him. For a long time Saha was considered India’s best wicket-keeper after MS Dhoni but time and again he had to face the debate whether Na man Oj ha could bring more balance to the team with his batting. A maiden century on Wednesday, at a time when India needed it desperately, should clear the air over Saha’s utility.
It took some time coming though, 22 innings to be exact. And throughout his international stint, there have been quite a few instances when Saha was accused of throwing away his wicket. Like when he was on 40( in Antigua) and 47 (in Jamaica) this series. Had he not been too restless against Nathan Lyon in the Adelaide Test in 2014, Vi rat K oh li could have tried to get closer to a gettable 364-run target.
That somehow put to shade a string of good performances in Sri Lanka where KL Rahul too had got a century. Given Rahul’s growing stature as a wicket-keeper-batsman who can open the batting as well as come in the middle order, Saha had to show someday that he too can score big when required.
