The 40-year-old is set to play his final game in competitive cricket from tomorrow
Former India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha revealed in an interview with Sportstar that he had to turn down a coaching role from Kolkata Knight Riders as he is not ready to be a coach.
The 40-year-old had announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November last year, saying that the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season with Bengal will be his last outing.
Saha is set to play his final game beginning on Thursday in front of home crowd at the Eden Gardens as Bengal takes on Punjab in the final round of group matches.
Bengal are already out of the quarterfinals race following their 283-run defeat against Elite Group C toppers Haryana.
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Saha expressed his wish to spend more time with family as he said that he had to turn down the offer to be KKR’s assistant coach this coming season.
“Throughout my career, I have believed that if someone wants to take up an assignment, they need to be absolutely ready. I’m not ready for that kind of coaching position yet, which is why I turned down an offer to be assistant coach at Kolkata Knight Riders. I’m sure it would have been a fantastic opportunity, but I had to decline because I knew I needed more time before committing to a full-fledged coaching role,” Saha told Sportstar.
Saha, who made his First-Class debut for Bengal in 2007, has played over 400 matches across all formats and scored over 12,000 runs for the team across 18 years.
He also made his international debut against South Africa in Nagpur in the 2010 Test series. The keeper-batter went on to play 40 Tests, scoring 1,353 runs at an average of 29 and claiming 92 catches and 12 stumpings.
“Throughout my career, I have believed that it is performance that defines a player, not PR. At times, I feel that if I had prioritised myself over the team, my statistics might have looked better. But for me, the team always came first. I could have played fewer matches, but self-promotion was never my thing,” Saha said, reflecting on his career.
In the IPL, Saha was instrumental for Gujarat Titans to clinch the title in their debut season in 2022 scoring 317 runs from 11 matches at the top of the order. He never enjoyed limelight during his international career with injuries cutting short his playing time and Rishabh Pant taking on the gloves as the first-choice keeper.
“My wife Romi always wanted me to be part of India’s World Cup squad, but that never happened. It would have been special to play in a World Cup, but some things are beyond one’s control,” Saha said.
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