‘Never looked at stats, always played for the team’ - Saha reflects on Test career

It’s the end of an era, as at the end of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Wriddhiman Saha will retire from cricket altogether. The 40-year-old made his professional debut 17 years ago, back in 2007, but his long and decorated career will come to a conclusion at the start of next year.

The presence of MS Dhoni meant that Saha only became a team India regular in Tests after 2014, but the wicketkeeper-batter still had a very successful international career, playing 40 Tests while scoring three centuries. Saha, whose last Test appearance came in 2021, was an integral part of India’s unbeaten run at home post-2012 (which ended recently against New Zealand) and, during his time, was considered one of the best glovemen in the entire world.

He reflected on his Test career and said that he was proud to have always prioritised the team over himself.

"I could have played better. But I always thought about the team first. If I played a little for myself, which shouldn't happen, then the stats would have been better,” Saha said after day one of Bengal’s clash against Karnataka, reported Cricbuzz.

"There were a lot of innings where we were going to declare. If I hadn't been out for 3-4 overs... my average is around 30 [29.41], but it could have been 35. But I don't look at the stats. I always played for the team.

“I did the job I was supposed to do. If I was told to go out there and hit, then I've done that. In that process, if I get out, I get out. But I played for the team, always.”

The 40-year-old revealed that he was initially planning to hang his boots at Tripura at the end of last season but was convinced by two very important individuals to return to Bengal and play one last season.

"I wasn't going to play this year. But Sourav Ganguly and my wife pushed me to play in Bengal this year," Saha said. 

"I played in Tripura for two years and then came to Bengal, and I am pushing for the last year. But this season, due to my body condition and injuries, I won't be able to play for the full season. So I chose the most vital format. It will still be tough, but I will play."

Saha will not be part of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, ending a successful career that saw him play a key role for as many as five franchises. He won the IPL title twice: first in 2011 with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and then in 2022 with Gujarat Titans (GT).

The 40-year-old said it was an ‘easy’ decision to skip IPL this time around since his body is no longer capable of coping with the extravaganza's rigorous demands.

"It was very easy for me. I was already prepared that I won't even play this year. I'd been prepared from last year itself that I wasn't going to play this year, but I've been pushed [to play on]. So I couldn't refuse them [his wife and Ganguly]. When I started from Bengal last year, I played there again, and there was an emotional attachment,” he said.

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