India’s first choice wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha said he wanted to test himself on the ongoing England tour. However, the Indian gloveman had to miss out on action due to his shoulder injury.
Thus, Saha has regrets to miss out on the England tour. In fact, it was reported that Saha first suffered a finger injury while playing in the IPL. However, a shoulder injury resurfaced while he was training at the National Cricket Academy.
Saha was unfortunate to miss out due to injury.
Saha said he wanted to push himself to the limits. However, he had to miss out on the action because of the untimely injury.
“I pushed myself but it wasn’t meant to happen. Everyone keeps talking about England tours. I have been on tour with the team in 2014, it is a real test not just for the wicketkeepers but for everyone to go there and do well,” Saha said while speaking to Cricbuzz.
“Thus, I wanted to test myself there in such a valuable series, I wanted to test my pedigree. In fact, I don’t know the specifics but maybe because I had taken those injections twice before and hence the third didn’t work as effectively”.
The right-hander from Bengal went on add that he didn’t want to let his team down while playing at 50-60%.
“Again, the doctors can tell you better – the period of treatment and rehab keeps reducing with every injection but when I took the third, I wasn’t getting my full range of movement and on an England tour, you don’t want to let your team down by going 50-60 percent fit.”
Meanwhile, it not a walk in the park to keep wickets in the England conditions. The ball is moving in all sort of directions and generally dips on the keeper after crossing the stumps. Thus, it is pivotal for the wicketkeeper to watch the ball till the end.
Saha is also out for the Australia tour.
“A lot depends on the ‘keeper with regards to where the slip fielders would stand. The kind of carry, bounce the wicket has and the pace of the bowler. The amount of movement every bowler gets is different, plus the biggest factor is you got to factor in the reaction time too. I have a pair of gloves, the slip fielders won’t have it, so you got to allow them that extra yard, can’t just be that the ball is falling short and everyone keeps moving forward.”
Therefore, Saha will miss the action for four months which keeps him out for the upcoming tour of Australia. Thus, it will once again give an opportunity to Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik.
“Safe to say, it will take four months,” said Saha. “Getting back on the field is not on my mind right now, my focus is to just do the things I am being told to on a daily basis. I have just started the rehab two days back at the NCA, I haven’t been told how long I would need to be here. But yes, a stretch of 3-4 months can take a toll, so I will be given breaks and be with family, come back and resume the rehab, something on these lines.”
Wriddhiman Saha was unfortunate to miss out on the pivotal tour of England and will have to miss Australia’s tour. Saha had played only one Test match against South Africa and had to return back as he suffered a hamstring injury.