Why all the ruckus about Rishabh Pant on Wriddhiman Saha's day?
Today, in the first home Test against South Africa when Rishabh Pant was dropped, it caused a whirlwind of arguments. With some indicating itâs problematic to be so harsh on a youngster and the others pressing that he needs time. All the ruckus about Pant, but what about Wriddhiman Saha?
Often a major conflict when it comes to wicketkeeping is whether keeping is the primary responsibility of the player. India got lucky with MS Dhoni but in his successors, India have found the abilities segregated in two separate identities. While Wriddhiman Saha capitalized on his exceptional keeping abilities, a young Rishabh Pant replacing an injured Saha in 2018 scored centuries in England and Australia cementing his place in the side. However, his keeping abilities have always been questionable but with Saha away and his batting being top-notch, Pant cemented his position in the Indian side.Â
There was a time when India couldnât think beyond MS Dhoni as the gloveman across formats. While his exploits in limited-overs as a batsman and a captain were impeccable, Dhoniâs inadequacy in Test cricket surfaced more and more during the early years of the decade. Why is Dhoni special? Besides his leadership, his exceptional keeping. Dhoni decided to hang his boots in the longest format and Virat Kohli took up the captaincy in Tests. His gloves were yet to be filled. India then turned to the gloveman from Bengal, an old understudy. What was special about Saha?Â
Forgettable debuts in both formats made him remain a reserve player and for five years since his first Test for India, he remained a nobody. Then came the home series against South Africa in 2015 wherein he started off with a duck. While the story remained the same on the side, Saha behind the wickets was someone else altogether. Confidence, incredible reflex and an understanding of the turn that subcontinent pitches offer, with all that Saha pulled off incredible stumpings and with the series moving ahead he took notable catches. The season would go on to be one of the biggest highlights of Ravichandran Ashwinâs career, and then there was Saha doing the damage all gloved up behind all the limelight.Â
By the time India toured Sri Lanka in 2017, Wriddhiman Saha had shown determination with the bat and kept up his world-class keeping as usual. His dexterity with the gloves on didnât let the team miss MS Dhoni behind the stumps. And one thing kept him ahead of Dhoni was that Saha even went for the catches the stalwart would often not attempt. One of the most vivid examples of this can be cited from the second test against Sri Lanka, wherein on a treacherous track at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Saha's keeping masterclass had earned the respect of his captain Virat Kohli.
On a treacherous track where every other delivery behaved unusually, Saha was extraordinary. Especially during the second innings when the Colombo pitch was literally unpredictable. Rekindling Sri Lankaâs hopes for a comeback, Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne had gathered up 191, but the right-handed batsman would then deflect the ball onto his thigh pad and a diving Saha would take a stunning catch to dismiss him. Itâs the consistency and sincerity that makes him unique as a gloveman. Saha never takes his eyes off the ball, he climbs with it and angles his gloved hand to bag some exemplary catches.
Throughout the game, whether the ball skidded, spun, kept low or reared up, it invariably landed in Saha's reliable gloves once it made it past the bat. He was also lightning fast in stumping Dilruwan Perera.
"Four byes on that sort of pitch speaks volumes of the kind of ability he has. He's right up there in world cricket among the very best, he's the best keeper in this format right now, I'd say,â were Kohliâs words after the game. In two sentences, the captain summed up the gloveman.
Two years hence, the Indian skipper still remains consistent on his views on the 34-year-old who last played a Test during the South Africa tour in January 2018 before being hindered by a shoulder injury, followed by a thumb injury.
"Yes Saha is fit and fine to go. He is going to start the series for us. His keeping credentials are for everyone to see. He has done well with the bat whenever he has got a chance. It was unfortunate that he was out with an injury. According to me, he is the best keeper in the world. With these conditions he starts for us." Kohli said on the eve of the first Test.
Once again, the focus was more on Pant than the one who was selected to don the gloves for the Indian team in Vizag. Saha, a genuine wicketkeeper, was given the duties of carrying out what heâs best at, in the subcontinent. But the whirlwind of chatter regarding this matter highlights how little recognition Saha, MS Dhoniâs automatic successor, gets after all these years.
More often than not itâs forgotten that Pant was only picked when the Bengal cricketer was out due to injury, and the only thing that kept Pant ahead was his batting. On one hand, while Saha - who didnât make it to the playing XI in the Caribbean - kept scoring runs for India A, Pant, on the other hand, was being heavily criticized for his âcarelessâ stroke-making. While the captain has attested that the 21-year-old will get ample opportunities to prove himself, Saha doesnât really have anything to prove. All he can do is thrive on his expertise. So instead of asking âWhy Saha?â itâs time we ask the right questions- âWhy not Saha?â
