Wriddhiman Saha gets a clear message after another snub, it looks like the end

He
was
left
out
of
the
first
two
Test
matches
against
Australia
as
selectors
opted
to
go
with
Ishan
Kishan
and
KS
Bharat
in
the
team.

Wriddhiman
Saha
said
last
year
that
head
coach
Rahul
Dravid
gave
him
an
indication
that
the
player
won’t
be
considered
for
a
selection
anymore.
Dravid
told
Saha
that
the
Indian
team
was
looking
for
a
younger
alternative
for
the
future
and
Wriddhiman
was
told
to
think
of
his
future.

The
keeper
was
left
baffled
as
he
just
played
a
decent
knock
against
New
Zealand
and
those
words
from
Rahul
Dravid
may
have
felt
like
a
bolt
from
blue.
He
also
revealed
chief
selector
Chetan
Sharma
also
conveyed
his
thoughts.

“Chetan
Sharma
told
me
that
they
will
not
consider
me
for
the
Sri
Lanka
series.
I
asked
him
whether
it
is
just
for
the
Sri
Lanka
series,
or
is
it
also
beyond
that?
He
took
a
pause
and
then
said,
from
now
on,
you
will
not
be
considered,”
Saha
stated.

But
all
of
these
stories
are
from
last
year,
when
Rishabh
Pant
was
being
regarded
as
the
inevitable
first
choice.
But
Pant’s
accident
means
the
southpaw
will
now
be
missing
the
majority
of
the
year.
But
still,
Saha
was
not
considered
for
the
Australia
Tests.
KS
Bharat
is
included
while
Ishan
Kishan
has
got
the
nod
ahead
of
the
veteran.

Wriddhiman
has
served
India
well
since
the
retirement
of
MS
Dhoni
in
Test
cricket.
The
former
Bengal
player
is
an
outstanding
wicketkeeper
and
many
regard
him
as
the
best
man
behind
the
stumps
in
India.
His
work
behind
the
stumps
is
quite
unmatched,
but
his
batting
has
been
an
issue.

Wriddhiman
Saha
Test
Stats:

Wriddhiman
Saha
has
scored
1353
runs
in
40
Tests,
at
an
average
of
just
below
30.
The
wicketkeeper-batter
has
6
fifties
and
3
hundreds
to
his
name.
He
made
his
debut
in
2010
and
played
his
last
match
against
New
Zealand
in
December
2021.

Saha
is
not
the
elite
when
it
comes
to
batting,
but
his
work
with
the
gloves
overshadows
everyone
at
the
moment.
The
efficacy
of
the
player
behind
the
wicket
is
excellent.
His
ability
to
read
spinners,
swiftness,
agility
is
next
to
none
but
the
player
has
got
the
axe.

Saha
switched
his
domestic
allegiance
to
Tripura
this
season
and
has
done
well
for
them.
He
has
scored
a
hundred
against
Punjab
and
then
managed
another
half-century
against
Railways
in
the
most
recent
match.

Ishan
Kishan,
on
the
other
hand,
has
been
a
superb
performer
in
the
limited
overs
format,
but
not
so
with
the
red
ball.
He
has
scored
346
runs
in
his
last
10
Ranji
innings,
with
a
hundred
and
a
fifty
apiece.
The
young
swashbuckler
from
Jharkhand
will
be
hoping
to
emulate
the
career
of
his
role
model
MS
Dhoni,
who
also
hails
from
Jharkhand.

What
it
means
for
Saha:

But
for
Saha,
it
looks
like
the
final
blow
to
his
India
hopes.
With
Pant
out
injured,
Saha
would
have
hoped
to
be
in
the
team.
But
selectors
have
ignored
that
and
have
quite
vividly
given
the
harsh
message
to
the
38-year-old.
There
is
no
doubt
about
Saha’s
credentials
as
a
keeper,
but
lack
of
prolificness
with
the
bat
coupled
with
age
has
put
a
dent
in
his
India
hopes.

With
the
Indian
team
looking
to
move
forward
with
fresh
blood
and
the
exuberance
of
youth,
the
arithmetic
of
Saha’s
age
has
made
the
telling
blow
despite
his
fitness
and
playing
prowess.

Saha
is
a
fighter
though.
The
player
made
it
clear
to
Rahul
Dravid
and
Chetan
Sharma
that
he
won’t
call
it
a
day
and
will
keep
pushing
himself
to
wear
the
India
colours
again.
The
wicketkeeper
has
taken
up
a
new
challenge
in
the
domestic
circuit
and
has
the
chance
to
prove
himself
as
IPL
comes
knocking.
But
despite
all
his
efforts,
it
looks
bending
the
perceptions
of
India’s
selection
hierarchy
will
be
too
much
for
the
ever-smiling
Bengali.

The
message
seems
clear.
It
looks
like
the
end
of
the
road
for
Wriddhiman
Saha
in
the
Indian
setup.