Wriddhiman Saha Set To Undergo Surgery In Manchester, BCCI Timeline Raises More Questions On Injury

India Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha will undergo a surgery on his shoulder in Manchester at the end of July or beginning of August, the BCCI confirmed on Saturday.

Saha was initially sidelined with a thumb injury he had sustained in the Indian Premier League. He subsequently missed the final of the competition. He also didn’t feature in the one-off Test against Afghanistan. But he was expected to be fit in time for the upcoming Test series against England.  However, the 33-year is now set for a longer spell on the sidelines owing to a shoulder injury.

“Wriddhiman Saha has sustained a posterosuperior labral tear. He will undergo surgery on his shoulder in Manchester at the end of July or the 1st week of August. The labral repair surgery will be done by Dr. Lennard Funk in Manchester, UK,” the board said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the statement from the board has raised more questions about how the NCA had allegedly ‘bungled his rehabilitation’. The BCCI, however, defended themselves by stating:

“The entire course of treatment and consultation that was carried out at the NCA was performed in co-ordination with the India Team management and the GM of Operations,” it said.

The timeline revealed by the BCCI has pretty much made it clear that the rehabilitation was not handled well.

“Saha reported at the NCA on January 29 with left proximal hamstring tendinopathy (pain in the upper left hamstring). Simultaneously he complained of right shoulder pain. Subsequently an MRI scan was done in February which revealed a Labral tear,” it stated.

The statement makes it clear that the shoulder injury was first sustained in January. The BCCI, however, revealed the injury in July while announcing the squad for the first three Tests against England.

The timeline further states that after taking injections and a rehab of close to six weeks, Saha was declared fit on March 19. He then went on to play in the IPL.

According to the release, Saha once again sustained shoulder injury on May 7. He then received ultrasound injections in Delhi and missed five IPL games.

“During this period, on 15th of May, Saha requested to visit the NCA head physiotherapist, Ashish Kaushik. So that he could also review his right shoulder. Ashish assessed his right shoulder and concluded that its presentation was similar to how it had been in late January/early February.

“Ashish informed the Sunrisers Physiotherapist of this who then continued with his course of rehabilitation. The Team India Physiotherapist was informed of this sequence of events,” it said.

The question now arises is that if Kaushik assessed that Saha’s condition was “similar to what it was in January and February”, how did the board allow the wicketkeeper to play in the IPL on May 25.

The latest injury can also jeopardise the tour of Australia towards the end of the year for Saha. He has already suffered several setbacks this year and would be desperate to return to action soon.

After he scored 0 and 8 in the first Test of the year, against South Africa in Cape Town, he suffered a hamstring injury and was sent home. He could not even play in the final of IPL and missed the Test against Afghanistan.