Saha : Hope my understanding with Ashwin in the lower order helps India
After their fruitful partnership in the West Indies, Wriddhiman Saha hopes that his understanding with Ravichandran Ashwin lower down the order will continue to benefit the team. The wicketkeeper-batsman also explained why an Indian coach is any day preferable to a foreigner for the Indian team.
Wriddhiman Saha has had to wait in the wings until so late into his career before he received a chance to prove himself – after an indifferent initial phase, he notched up his maiden ton in the third Test against West Indies in a 213-run sixth wicket stand with Ashwin.
"Ashwin has been playing for a longer time than me. But yes, in the last three to four series that I have been consistently part of, our understanding has improved. I hope that will help the team's cause," Saha told IANS.
"I tell him which line to bowl at times, which position is better and the length to bowl to a particular batsman. In the batting department, I can talk about that innings where he told me to wait for the loose ball and take my time. We were doing that. My understanding with Ashwin while keeping to him has helped better our running between the wickets," he said.
Saha pegged Ashwin as the hardest to keep wickets to among India's spin trio.
"On turning tracks, he gets sharp turn and bounce since he is tall. Jadeja is not always a huge turner of the ball, and Amit is slow with not as much bounce. So, yes, Ashwin is the toughest."
Saha also picked Umesh Yadav as the fastest of the Indian bowlers. "Consistently, Umesh is the fastest. It varies from spell to spell though. At times, due to the bounce he generates, Ishant is quite fast."
The Bengal cricketer also credited coach Anil Kumble and captain Virat Kohli for making his job easier. "They always told me a hundred is just around the corner. The entire team was so happy when I reached the milestone.
"Anil bhai knows how to bond with players. He always tells us how to approach a match. He doesn't try to change much. He believes we all should play our natural game," he said, reported IANS.
Saha also believes that an Indian coach is more amenable to the team than a foreign coach. "Someone like Anil bhai has seen us play from a very young age. That is not possible for a foreign coach. Indian coaches get to see us in the IPL and the domestic circuit. So it is definitely better to have an Indian coach than a foreign coach."