The competition in Indian cricket is intense, and players must be on top of their game to remain in contention.
The competition in Indian cricket is intense, and players must be on top of their game to remain in contention. Amidst all the competition, several quality players don’t get a chance due to their age and decline in performances for a short period of time.
One such player is Wriddhiman Saha, who was once a regular in the national side in the red-ball format after the retirement of MS Dhoni. He was a safe wicketkeeper and a quality batter, who played numerous quality knocks for India in the longest format.
However, he was sidelined once Rishabh Pant came into the setup, and Saha’s skills declined due to age. Saha has revealed he is in no mood to stop and is “available for everything” with an eye on his age.
“I am not looking at retiring at the moment. When I will retire, I will leave all forms and all formats of cricket, but right now, I am focused on red-ball cricket, white-ball cricket, (and) the IPL, and I’m available for everything. I will be managing my workload with one eye on my age, but I still have the drive to play cricket and see Bengal do well.”
During his tenure as head coach of India, Rahul Dravid had an open chat with Wriddhiman Saha, where Dravid clarified that the team was looking towards the future. That meant Saha was no longer in the plans, with the likes of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Dhruv Jurel taking his role.
Saha, 39, last played for India in December 2021 in a Wankhede Test against New Zealand before the team moved on. While he might not admit it, Saha knows his time with the Indian team is over since he won’t get young anymore, and India have numerous new faces to invest in.
Even in IPL 2024, Saha didn’t look as fluent and struggled to get going at various stages of the tournament. However, his commitment at this stage of his career is commendable.
Bengal have come close to winning the Ranji Trophy title a couple of times in the last four years but didn’t get over the line. Saha will look to help his team cross the final hurdle in a fresh attempt.
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