There is no competition with Rishabh Pant, attests Wriddhiman Saha

There is no competition with Rishabh Pant, attests Wriddhiman Saha

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Indian wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha recently made it clear that there is no competition between him and Rishabh Pant, both of them get along very nicely. Virat Kohli surprised many experts when Rishabh Pant was picked over Wriddhiman Saha in the first Test against New Zealand last month.

Rishabh Pant, who had last played a Test during the West Indies tour, was drafted into India’s playing XI for New Zealand tour ahead of Wriddhiman Saha, but the Delhi batsman only managed to score 60 runs in 2-Test series, with his highest score being 25. The decision to exclude Saha came as a surprise considering he has been repeatedly rated as the best wicketkeeper’ in the format by captain Virat Kohli during India's victorious run at home last season. And with Pant’s struggles in international cricket, Saha seemed to be an obvious choice. It was difficult to comprehend how Pant, who was not in India's plans in the limited-overs series in New Zealand, got the nod ahead of Wriddhiman Saha. 

After this surprise exclusion of Saha, there were speculations that there is a competition going on for the place of the wicketkeeper in the Indian Test side. The 35-year-old keeper from Bengal recently made it clear in an interview that there is no competition between him and Pant. He also made it clear that the two get along very nicely.

"We (me and Rishabh) keep joking around. We train together and we keep talking about the game and otherwise also. He always tries to give his best. There are few things which we have had a chat about. I have told Rishabh a few things which he will try according to his comfort zone. He will try during training. It's not like he will do it for one day and it will work. So, if he feels those things will work for him, he will try and implement them in his training, said Saha as quoted by Times of India.

"It's not like tips. It's a discussion. I have told him these are things I follow and it makes my job easier. You can also try them and see if it works for you. See it's very personal. But yes, we do discuss wicketkeeping.”

India’s next test series is against Australia away from home later this year. But then, Saha will be 36 years old. Considering the fact that Virat Kohli has had Pant as his prime choice in overseas Test matches, there is uncertainty whether Shah will be back for the series in Australia. Asked about the future with him not picked for the New Zealand series, Saha said while it is natural for every player to expect he will play the next series, the team comes first. 

"We all play for India. The team decides the best combination and we have to respect that. I had played the last series, he (Rishabh) did not play. In New Zealand, he played and I did not. Individually, yes we all expect to play. But ultimately the team is first," he added.

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