Sports

IND Vs SL: How Wriddhiman Saha Has Put Sourav Ganguly In A Spot After Test Team Axe

Wriddhiman Saha also revealed that India head coach Rahul Dravid had suggested him to think about his retirement.

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Wriddhiman Saha (L) has been replaced by KS Bharat as India’s back-up wicketkeeper in Test.
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After getting omitted from India’s Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, Wriddhiman Saha opened up on how the team management thinks about him and his future. He also revealed what BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said him earlier but couldn’t keep his promise. (More Cricket News)

Saha recalled his innings from November 2021 when he had hit an unbeaten 61 against New Zealand in Kanpur after taking a pain-killer for a stiff neck, the injury that forced him to leave the field on Day 3 of the first Test. He revealed that Ganguly had personally praised him for his knock and assured him of his spot in team.

"When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a pain-killer in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dadi (Sourav Ganguly) congratulated me over Whatsapp,” Saha told mediapersons after his ouster from Test squad on Saturday.

"He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything so long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board president really boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast," he added.

Meanwhile, Saha, who has been in and out of the team since Rishabh Pant became the first choice, revealed that the team management has told him that he wouldn’t be considered for selection going forward. He added that head coach Rahul Dravid suggested him to think about taking retirement.

Notably, the Test squad announced by India for Sri Lanka series has KS Bharath as back-up keeper instead of Saha, who was with the team in the role in the recent tour to South Africa.

India Test Squad For Sri Lanka Series

Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), KS Bharath, R Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain)