Since Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement from Tests, Wriddhiman Saha has done the wicket-keeping job quite well and has given his 110% in each and every series he has played in. Looking at Saha, it’s clear that for seven years he worked with Dhoni and learnt a lot from him.

The results are visible now as he hasn’t just been brilliant behind the wickets, but has also scored some decent runs with the bat. His numbers in the current season prove the same as he has struck three centuries so far.

“If you have to play for India as a wicketkeeper then you have to be as good as Saha,” Saba Karim, the former India selectors said.

There was a time (in the current season) when Saha got injured and was ruled out of the last three Tests against England. Parthiv Patel, his replacement, pounced upon the opportunity and scored 195 runs in four innings at an average of 65.00. The way he came out to open the innings in Chennai Test even after keeping wickets for 157.2 overs forced everyone to believe Parthiv hasn’t just replaced Saha but also presented his case as the third opener. But the Gujarat lad failed to make the cut for Bangladesh and Australia Tests, as the selectors made it clear Saha is their No.1 choice.

“He doesn’t talk much but whenever he does, he speaks sense. His batting has been above the rest of wicketkeepers in the country. He will play the crucial knocks and that’s why we stuck with him,” Karim added in praise for Saha.

Not just Saba Karim, but Kiran More, the former chairman of the selection panel, is also in all awe of Saha and has compared him to a few greats of the game.

“You can’t survive in Test cricket without being a good wicketkeeper. Gilchrist, Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni and Mark Boucher all have fantastic record behind the stumps. They are superlative wicketkeepers. Good wicketkeepers create dismissals. They react very sharply. All of the above names have done it and Saha is not different,” Kiran More told TOI.