We Cannot Stop Wriddhiman Saha If He Wants To Leave: CAB President Avishek Dalmiya

Wriddhiman Saha has refused to play for Bengal in the next Ranji Trophy knockouts, according to a statement released by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Saha is also said to have left the Bengal Ranji team’s WhatsApp group.

This effectively brings an end to his illustrious Bengal career, which began in 2007. Bengal will face Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final on June 6 in Bangalore.

Wriddhiman Saha Is Not Willing To Play For Bengal: Avishek Dalmiya

“The Cricket Association of Bengal wanted Wriddhiman Saha to play for Bengal at this crucial juncture, especially when Bengal would be fighting in the knockout stage in a bid to win the Ranji Trophy after becoming the top-ranked team in the country at the end of the group stage. I had expressed this to Wriddhiman and requested him to reconsider his decision. However, Wriddhiman has now communicated to us that he is not willing to play the Ranji Trophy knockouts,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement.

The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has previously requested an inter-state NoC from the state association after playing 122 first-class matches.

What to do? If he is that stubborn, we have to give him. But nobody should try to arm-twist the state association, as it is bigger than any individual,” a source in the CAB told the Indian Express.

This appears to be the end of a saga that began after Saha declined to participate in the Ranji Trophy group stage, after his removal from the Indian Test team for the two-match home series against Sri Lanka in February. Debabrata Das, the CAB’s joint secretary, has publicly questioned Saha’s dedication and criticised his decision. The player, on the other hand, took considerable objection to the CAB office remark, bearer citing the illness of a family member as the reason for his absence.

Saha was not selected for the one-off Test in England, but he has played well for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, scoring 312 runs in 10 games.

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