Rohit Sharma was recently appointed as the Test team skipper of the Indian team and veteran batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were not selected for the Indian Test team scheduled to play against Sri Lanka. But amidst all these developments there is one Indian cricketer who is attracting huge attention and he is wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha.
Saha's ouster
Saha was also not selected for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka and since his omission the Bengal-born wicketkeeper has been highly vocal about it. Saha revealed the conversations he had with India head coach Rahul Dravid and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly. Saha also shared a screenshot of a chat that he had with a journalist who happened to pester the player for refusing to give interview.
In a situation like this, former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani has opened up on this matter and according to him Saha is “currently India's most technically sound wicketkeeper.”
Kirmani speaks
"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 was quoted while talking to SportsKeeda.
It is believed that Saha’s age proved to be a deciding factor and because of it he was ousted from the Indian Test team. While talking about the age factor, Kirmani said that the “age factor has been there for a long time” and “they didn’t spare even Sachin Tendulkar.”
Is age not just a number?
"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?
"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. 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."
