The confusion surrounding Wriddhiman Saha’s participation in the upcoming Ranji Trophy knockout refuses to die down. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman was recently named in Bengal’s 22-man squad for their upcoming quarterfinal clash against Jharkhand. This happened just a few months after Saha had decided against playing for Bengal in the league stage of Ranji Trophy. At that time, he was disappointed after being told by the national selectors and the Indian team-management that he would not be considered for selection in future.
The saga has now taken a new turn as Saha is now reportedly set to leave Bengal. According to a report in Sportstar, the right-handed batsman had a long conversation with Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya on Tuesday. During the same conversation, Saha had indicated that he may no longer play for Bengal. Before the latest development, a senior CAB official had questioned Saha’s committed following the latter’s refusal to play in the group stage of the Ranji Trophy.
‘Wriddhi was hurt’:
Wriddhiman Saha’s wife Romi Mitra has revealed the reason behind the deteriorating relationship between her husband and CAB. She has said that Wriddhiman was hurt after his commitment was questioned despite his services to the team over the years. She also revealed that the CAB president tried to persuade Wriddhiman to play for Bengal but the latter has decided against it. Romi has also alleged that CAB did not even check with Saha about his availability before naming the squad for the knockouts.
“A few months ago, when Wriddhi decided to skip the Ranji Trophy league stage due to personal reasons, a certain CAB official gave a statement to the media doubting his commitment. Being a senior player, who has given so much to Bengal cricket, Wriddhi was hurt with such statements,” Romi was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
“After the squad was announced last night, he spoke to Mr. Dalmiya today and discussed the entire issue. The CAB president told him to reconsider and play the knockouts, but Wriddhi told him that he is not in a position to play for Bengal again, after so many questions were raised about his commitment,” she added.
Saha is currently busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is plying his trade for Gujarat Lions in IPL 2022. He has been in stunning form in the ongoing competition. The right-handed batsman has scored 281 runs in 8 games with the help of three fifties. Saha’s strike-rate in the competition is more than 123.