NEWS
Follow UsAfter Wriddhiman Saha opted out of the forthcoming Ranji Trophy, a couple of reports emerged suggesting that the BCCI has informed the wicketkeeper-batter his run with the Indian cricket team has come to an end and the team management is now looking for other options. However, the 37-year-old said he has no plans of retiring and will continue to play domestic tournaments.
Talking to Sportstar, Saha said: "I have informed the CAB president that I won’t be available to play Ranji Trophy only for this time. I have not told him anything regarding not playing any other tournaments. People take a break to have family time or for other personal reasons, even Virat Kohli took paternity leave. So, why are questions being raised when I decided to take a break from Ranji Trophy?
"In my career, I have even seen 40-year-old players in international cricket. Some have continued even after 40. Some have quit early, so it is a personal decision. Now, questions are being raised about my career since I am 37, but there are quite a few other players in the team, who are closer to my age. I am curious to know whether they are facing similar questions.
"These are personal decisions. Virat stepping down as captain was his personal decision, so similarly my retirement will be my personal decision. Everyone has a start and an end. But I will not retire just because people have been talking about it. If the team doesn't like my performance and if they drop me is something I can accept. But I will not leave if people push me."
Saha has played 40 Tests for India, scoring 1353 runs at an average of 29.41. The wicketkeeper made his Test debut in 2010 but couldn’t get enough opportunities till MS Dhoni was at the helm. Once the latter announced his retirement, Saha became India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for the next four-five years but a shoulder injury in 2018 ruled him out for a couple of months and that’s when Rishabh Pant took his role away.
"I still remember that during my debut Test, they had told me that I will not be part of the playing eleven. So, I had to train on my own with the net bowlers, but on the match day morning, an injury to Rohit Sharma saw me breaking into the team. So, despite not being prepared, I had to walk out there and face Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.
"Even when Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) was around, I knew that he would be the captain and I won’t have a chance. But I would still keep myself ready for any situation. After Mahi bhai’s exit, I was the frontline wicketkeeper for close to four years. There were a few good performances too. When a shoulder injury forced me out in 2018, Dinesh Karthik came back and kept wickets, and Rishabh arrived. He performed well and earned his chances. I never cared about who’s playing or not - for me, preparation is the key.”
Pant was rested for the home series against New Zealand last year and Saha was asked to keep wickets, with K.S. Bharath being called-up as his back-up. Saha managed scores of 1, 61*, 27 and 13 but couldn’t keep in the first Test because of a stiff neck. And, that’s when Bharath took over and impressed everyone with his wicket-keeping skills.
"I think even before the Kanpur Test, a lot of people tried to prove that I was finished. After I underwent the surgery in 2018, I was the second wicketkeeper, so I think since then, a lot of people were indicating that my time is up. Even though nobody said anything openly, there were enough indications that maybe, they are planning something different. But even after playing that knock that in Kanpur, I knew Rishabh Pant will be playing in South Africa because it was clearly announced that I was drafted into the final eleven since Rishabh was on a break. So, it was obvious that he would be the regular wicketkeeper when available. I always knew that.
"I have played under several head coaches - Gary Kirsten, Duncan Fletcher, Ravi Shastri - but no one ever asked me about any long-term plan. There were no such questions or discussions. During the home series against England last year, Kona (K.S. Bharath) was brought in as the reserve. So, does not that indicate that he is in the reckoning? It was obvious that they were bringing him into the squad with a (long-term) plan and allowing him to get used to the set-up."