On Saturday, the Indian selection committee headed by Chetan Sharma announced the India squads for the T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka, leaving out Wriddhiman Saha from the squad.
The exclusion came as no surprise for the Test veteran, who said that he was informed about the committee’s decision to not pick him by coach Rahul Dravid in South Africa itself. In an interview to Sportstar, Saha said, “After the Test against New Zealand, Dada texted me, congratulating me for my innings and boosted my confidence. So, when Rahul bhai called me, I thought maybe he wanted to talk to me about his plans.”
“But as we started speaking, Rahul bhai said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this, but for a while, a few selectors and the team management are thinking of trying a new keeper’. I asked him whether it is because of my age or fitness, but Rahul bhai told me that it is not just because of age or performance. They were looking at younger talents, and since you are not playing in the eleven, we thought of looking at other talents…” Saha claimed.
Saha further said that Rahul asked him to consider retirement but Saha insisted that he still had plenty of cricket left in him.
After he returned to India, Saha received a call from the national selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma. “Chetan Sharma told me that they will not consider me for the Sri Lanka series. I asked him whether it is just for the Sri Lanka series, or is it also beyond that? He took a pause and then said, from now on, you will not be considered,” Saha claimed.
“I asked him the same question – whether it is for my performance or for my age? He said that they were looking at a younger talent. But he also advised me to play the Ranji Trophy, but the call is yours…”
Saha said that he decided to give the Ranji Trophy a skip to spend time with his family, claiming that his wife was admitted to the hospital due to dengue. “So, after being inside the bubble for months, I decided to be with the family and spend some time with the children. That became a big talking point,” Saha said.
“I was surprised to see how the entire matter got leaked to the media, and my decision of not playing the Ranji Trophy became such a big issue. Back then, I thought that it is important to spend time with the family and that’s why I took the decision. I am gearing up for the IPL stint with Gujarat Titans. If the management decides to give me a chance in the playing eleven, I will try and deliver. I have not decided what I will do next season…” Saha added.