Internet Desk: Wriddhiman Saha has come a long way from remaining at the dressing room wondering when his chance will come in international cricket. But when his chance did arrived due to the retirement of MS Dhoni, he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. But it wasn’t an easy task as he had to fill in the big shoes left vacant by Dhoni.
According the former wicket keeper Syed Kirmani, ” This was the best ton from Wridhiman Saha comparing to his last two Test centuries. Though the Ranchi wicket was much easier to bat after what we saw in the previous two Tests at Pune and Bengaluru, but The Australian bowlers were bowling well and scoring runs were not that easy for the batsmen. Pujara batted cautiously and on the other hand it was Saha, who played all the shots today to keep scoreboard moving. I had already said that there are no questions about his wicket-keeping. According to me he is the best wicket-keeper in world cricket right now and now he is showing his mental strength as a batsman too.”
Kirmani feels the fact that he is assured of his place in the side has given the Bengal gloves man more freedom to express himself on the ground.
“Wriddhiman played some brilliant shots against a world-class spinner like Nathan Lyon when he was very close to his century, which shows he is a fearless cricketer,” said Kirmani
But Kirmani said it will be foolish to compare Saha with Dhoni. “Dhoni is a brand for world cricket. His record as captain in Tests might not be that great but as a wicket-keeper batsman he is from another planet. After today’s innings Saha has shown the world that he is a good batsman too but there is no comparison between him and Dhoni.”
Former national selector and wicket keeper Kiran More feels proud due to the fact that it was during his tenure as selection committee chairman, Saha was given an opportunity.
According to More, “I was the Chairman of the selection committee when Dhoni started his career for India. He got his chance in the ODI team as a pinch hitter. After that he played Test cricket and scored a double ton against Australia in 2013 with his unconventional batting style and helped India to win many Test matches. I have heard a lot of criticism about Dhoni’s wicket-keeping, but in my point of view he is the best wicket-keeper that Indian cricket team ever have. Wriddhiman is a great wicket-keeper and I had also praised him in various times. But there is no comparison between Saha and Dhoni. According to me India will never get a wicket-keeper batsman like Dhoni in next ten or fifteen years.”
Former India captain Ajit Wadekar too heaped praises on Saha. According to Wadekar, ” I think Saha’s century is as important as Pujara’s double ton. When Saha came to bat India was in big trouble, as it might go in Australia’s favor too if India lost another wicket on that time. The seventh wicket stand of 199 runs between these two crickets have helped India to cement their position in this Test match. They won’t lose from this position, either India will win or the match will end as a draw. I want to congratulate Pujara for his third double century but Saha will get more praise from me, as he was the batsman who played all the shots against the spinners like Nathan Lyon and Steve o’keefe to keep the scoreboard moving on a fouth day pitch. In near future Saha may surpass Dhoni’s record in Test cricket but according to me Dhoni is a player from a different planet and no one match him.”