Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has decided to quit the Bengal team but is yet to finalize which new team he will play for in the future in domestic cricket. He admits that he has spoken to quite a few people from several state units, but is yet to zero in on a particular team.
This comes after Saha was told that he was no longer in the plans of the Indian Test team by the BCCI selectors and head coach Rahul Dravid. As a result, he pulled out of the Ranji Trophy and informed the Bengal cricket Association that he is not willing to play the Ranji Trophy knockouts, beginning on June 6.
Soon after the Bengal squad for the Ranji knockouts was released by the CAB, Saha had a long conversation with Dalmiya, where he indicated that he may no longer play for Bengal.
He was upset with comments by a senior CAB official, who had raised questions over Saha’s commitment after he decided to skip the group stage of the Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons.
“Since I had made up my mind that I won’t play for Bengal, I had informed (the Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya) over phone. But I will meet him in person and finalise the formalities,” Saha told Sportstar, indicating that he will soon formally seek a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).
Last week, he even exited the Bengal team's WhatsApp group, despite coach Arun Lal having a word with the India international.
“For me, too, it is a very sad feeling that I have to go through something like this after playing for Bengal for so long. It is disappointing that people make such comments and question your integrity. As a player, I had never faced such a thing in the past, but now that it has happened, even I need to (move on),” Saha added.
Saha remained tight-lipped on his future plans and said: “I have spoken to a lot of people, but no decision has been taken yet. There is still time left for next season…”
On the other hand, Saha had a successful stint with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 15, where he helped the debutant franchise win the IPL 2022.
“I just went to the IPL to contribute to Gujarat Titans and help them win. I am glad that we won the title, but I am not thinking too much about what will happen next or what should have happened. My job was to perform and I just did that,” Saha added.
Looking back at his stint with Gujarat Titans, Saha only has fond memories.
“It was one happy unit, where we could express ourselves and communicate. There would be open sessions over breakfast or meal or even during team sessions, where all of us spoke to each other about our plans and vision.
It was not just about communicating with Hardik (Pandya) or Ashish Nehra. We spoke with everyone and there was an exchange of ideas. That approached us in reaching our goal as a unit and we all knew what the plan would be,” Saha said.
(Sportstar inputs)
