IPL 2022: I Went Unsold, No Franchise Believed In Me; Hardik Pandya Came And Asked Me To Open: Wriddhiman Saha

The last 18 months have not been simple for Wriddhiman Saha. From being India’s best Test wicketkeeper, he lost his place to the powerful Rishabh Pant and toward the start of this current year, was educated by the administration, he was as of now not in their frame of things as the team needs to look forward.

His uprightness was addressed by a Cricket Association of Bengal official during the domestic season and to top everything off, he went unsold on day 1 of the IPL mega auction.

Wriddhiman Saha Given Chance By GT

At the point when things began to look miserable, Saha got another rent of life when he was gotten by Gujarat Titans for ₹1.9 crore on the second day of the sale. 

Saha’s battles, be that as it may, didn’t end there. He was not the best option wicketkeeper for GT. It was Australia’s Matthew Wade who played the initial not many matches. Yet, after the left-hander was unable to have an effect, GT skipper Hardik Pandya approached Saha and requested that the veteran cricketer open the batting with Shubman Gill. 

That was only the open door Saha required. In the wake of missing the initial five league games, Saha scored 317 runs for GT in 11 matches that included three half-centuries.

Hardik Pandya Provided Me With A Stage To Prove Myself: Wriddhiman Saha

After GT won the IPL in the first year, Saha credited Hardik Pandya for his comeback and said he can never ‘forget his contribution’  in bringing his confidence back. 

“Hardik showed faith in all those players who were released by the different franchises, whom nobody believed in. I was unsold (on day 1 of mega auction), and was not getting chances in the beginning. Then he came and said I need to take the responsibility of an opener.

I got my confidence back. He provided me with a stage to prove myself. Can never forget his contribution. I tried my best to repay his faith. In fact, everybody in the team fulfilled their duties, that’s what you need to become a champion side,” Saha told Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika. 

Hardik Pandya Knows How To Manage A Side: Wriddhiman Saha

The 37-year-old said he has seen an ocean change in Hardik. Giving knowledge about Hardik’s leadership abilities, Saha said Hardik knew how to deal with everybody with care. He never used to lose his cool in any event, when someone had committed an error in the field. 

“Hardik knows how to manage a side. A captain’s job is to stay connected with everyone, and understand their game, Hardik had no dearth of that. He has gone through a sea change. He used to be restless earlier but has changed completely now. He never lost his cool on the field, always showed faith in everyone,” Saha added. 

Saha said his task was to give whatever great beginnings as an opener he could give to the side in IPL. 

 “A captain will always be happy when the openers perform. The biggest thing was, that he believed in me. Hardik used to say if we don’t get off to good starts in multiple matches then it will put the dugout under a lot of pressure. So, my job was to get the team off to a good start,” he added. 

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