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Although a common thought process is that T20 cricket is a young man's game, when it comes to the Indian Premier League (IPL), this might not always be true. To prove the same, fans can look at the top three batters of the ongoing season — Jos Buttler, KL Rahul, and Shikhar Dhawan, who are 31, 30, and 36 respectively.
Reiterating the same is Gujarat Titans' (GT) wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who is currently 37-year-old. The veteran has been touted as more of a Test player than a limited-overs specialist, but Wriddhiman thinks otherwise. "Don't know why some people say I'm not a shorter-format player. But on my part, I've always liked to play shorter formats since my early years. I may not be having the physique of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Andre Russell or Chris Gayle. But the potential I have, I can make use of the Powerplay with my fearless attitude. And I've done that," he said during a select media interaction.
This IPL has seen many young Indians shine for their respective franchises, like Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan and Tilak Varma. But when people were ready to write him off, Wriddhiman replaced Australian Matthew Wade at the top of the order for GT, playing a scintillating knock of 68 off 38 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
It was an important knock for the Titans, which helped the team chase down a high target of 196 and maintain their push for the playoffs. Saha followed this up with a 29 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and then a 21 against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
"It's not about answering anyone. I just played for my team's cause as we had to chase down almost 200 (196) in that game (against SRH). I could contribute to a solid start which my team needed then. That’s what matters ultimately. I don’t play to show or prove anything to anyone. Not sure if that knock is a turnaround or so, but yes, it has been a boost to my intensity, which I did feel in the matches thereafter," added Saha.
