If Wriddhiman Saha’s father is to believed, then the India wicketkeeper still has a long way to go before he fulfills his dreams.
The Bengal star is considered by many as the find of this home season after some scintillating displays with the willow. After scoring his maiden ton in Tests during the West Indies tour, the 32-year-old proved his worth with twin half-centuries in Kolkata Test against New Zealand that helped India win the match. Useful contributions with the bat continued in the succeeding Tests before an injury forced him to miss the last two Tests against England.
But the right-handed batsman bounced back from the setback in style by hitting a double ton in the Irani Trohpy before scoring his second Test century in the recently concluded Test match against Bangladesh.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Prasanta Sinha, Wriddhiman’s father, said:
“This is just the beginning, he has many more hurdles to cross.”
Prasanta, who was a goalkeeper for a local club during his younger days, said his soon was also following his footsteps before donning the wicketkeeping gloves.
“Initially he (Wriddhi) wanted to become a goalkeeper like me. But when a regional cricket coaching camp was held in Siliguri in late 1990s, we got him admitted there. He was just 13 at that time and his love for cricket began in no time,” Prasanta recalled.
Saha Sr. further revealed India’s first-choice wicketkeeper started playing cricket in the form of a pacer-cum-hard-hitting batsman. But when the wicketkeeper at the coaching camp didn’t turn up, his father asked him to take the wickekeeping duties.
“He was initially hesitant about his new role, but I gave him some tips on how to deal with the job. The quality which stood out in him even in his younger days was his focus and determination whenever a new challenge came up. He took no time to learn the tricks and grew into the role of a wicketkeeper,” Prasanta said.
When asked about what his son would have become if cricket had not worked out, he said:
“He might have become a car-racing driver if he had not made it to the Indian cricket team.”
Meanwhile, Saha’s father still has an unfulfilled wish and that is to watch his son play from the stands.
“I’m yet to watch Wriddhi play a Test match from the stands. Hopefully it will happen soon,” he concluded.