He Is Mentally Strong Even Now, He Doesn't Want To Lose - Wriddhiman Saha's Childhood Coach

Indian wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha has been going through a tough phase in his life having been dropped from the senior Test squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka at home.

Saha was told that his services won’t be needed anymore as the management is looking to groom a young keeper with the future in mind. As a result, KS Bharat was named as the backup wicket-keeping option for Rishabh Pant. Speaking about the exclusion, Saha’s childhood coach Jayanta Bhowmik insisted that the rules should not be different for different players.

“On what criteria has this decision been taken? This is my question. If you are going to select a player, regardless of any team, the criteria are always fitness and performance. If age is not a criterion, then on what basis has he not been picked? What is the problem? Even in the squad, there are senior cricketers, why Wriddhiman Saha alone will be dropped from the side?”

“Not just a player, every professional has a particular time to retire. Even Saha has the right time to retire and he knows it very well. He is not someone who talks loose, he is honest and serious about his performance, results, and fitness. He is mentally strong even now. He doesn’t want to lose. He knows when to stop,” Bhowmik told indiatoday.in.

“If you look at the Indian team’s fitness, Wriddhiman Saha is in the top 3” – Jayanta Bhowmik

Bhowmik also pointed out that if fitness is the issue, it doesn’t make sense for Saha to be dropped as he is one of the fittest players in the Indian team. Even at age 37, Saha ranks third among the fittest Indian players, as per Bhowmik.

“He is 37, I understand. But if his fitness and performance are alright, he can play for another 2-3 years. Every player, even the great Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, have retired. But there’s a time for it. It’s not like he is trying to extend his career by a year or two.”

“He is an honest person who knows when to stop. He takes his performance seriously. If you look at the Indian team, in the fitness tests, Saha always is in the top 3 – Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and then Wriddhiman Saha,” Bhowmik further added.

India will take on Sri Lanka in a 2-match Test series with the first being played in Mohali and the second in Bengaluru.

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