ENG vs IND 2018: Wriddhiman Saha set to Keep Wickets in England Tests - Reports

Wriddhiman Saha reportedly remains the Indian team management’s first-choice ‘keeper for the Tests in England.

Saha is currently sidelined owing to a thumb injury. The keeper-batsman injured his right thumb while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Qualifier 2 against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 25.

He subsequently missed the final of the competition. Saha didn’t feature in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. And with no Test before England series, Saha will be short on match practice before the pivotal tour.

However, reports are suggesting the team-management is pinning its hopes on Saha for the wicketkeeping role.

“His day-to-day progress is monitored at the NCA. His treatment, diet; everything. He is the team management’s first-choice ‘keeper,” a BCCI source told The Indian Express.

There are speculations that the team-management might go in with Dinesh Karthik in the testing conditions of England. Though Parthiv Patel has been India’s go-to backup wicketkeeping option in Tests, Karthik has further enhanced his reputation in recent times.

He is now also the front-runner as a backup keeper in Tests, having kept the wickets in Saha’s absence during the Afghanistan Test. It was his first Test appearance since 2010.

Karthik was also called up as a replacement for Saha during Test tour of South Africa and was the one who broke MS Dhoni’s nearly-three-year streak, as India’s man behind the stumps, during the Nidahas Trophy 2018.

There are doubts over Saha and Parthiv’s ability as batsmen, especially on pacer-friendly wickets. It can pretty much tilt the balance in Karthik’s favour who is in fine form with the bat.

Recently, he captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL playoffs and was the top-scorer for the side with 498 runs in 16 innings at an average of nearly 50 and a strike rate of nearly 150.

Moreover, Karthik had shone during the tour of England in 2007. He had three half-centuries — 60 at Lord’s, 77 at Nottingham and 91 at the Oval.