Debasis Sen, Bengaluru: At the first instance Wriddhiman Saha may come across as a very low key Indian cricketer. But what matters the most for the Bengal stumper is he has the backing of his Test skipper Virat Kohli. Being a specialist wicket keeper (also regarded as the best in the country) he is an automatic choice in the Indian test team. Indian test captain Virat Kohli on Monday made it very clear that Saha will be the first choice wicket keeper in the forthcoming test series coming up against West Indies.
Saha was seen given a special wicket keeping practice by fielding coach Abhay Sharma on Monday at the practice session of the Indian team at NCA. The stumper was asked to dive on a cushion on his left and take catches in order to improve upon his catching towards his weaker side being a natural right hander.
Kohli feels in test matches his first priority will always be to play a specialist wicket-keeper as he can grab that half-chance which can decide the fate of the match. Kohli however did not rule KL Rahul out but his chances will only arise if Saha is injured.
“Obviously whenever Rahul played, he has played as an opener or as a back-up option for the opening slot. I think it is up to the team management to take a call on the batting combination but as (far as) wicket keeping goes, Saha being a specialist keeper is always the first choice,” Kohli told reporters at Bengaluru.
“Saha’s batting has also improved a lot in the last few months and we can bank on him as he is a quality glovesman who can grab those half chances,” Kohli said.
Kohli, who has captained Rahul in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side during the Indian Premier League (IPL), said the Karnataka batsman has worked a lot on his wicket keeping and can be a handy option if there is a genuine need of a reserve wicket keeper.