Wriddhiman Saha, who has taken the role of wicket-keeper in Test matches following MS Dhoni’s retirement from the longest format of the game, has said that it will be tough to replace Dhoni.
“After Dhoni bhai’s retirement, filling his place as the wicketkeeper is not an easy task because he has had won many matches for us. He was a dominant character in world cricket,” Saha told reporters after Indian team’s training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The Bengal wicket-keeper said that he is trying his best to do justice to his role.
“I am trying to do what Dhoni Bhai did for us – that is to win matches with contributions coming from his bat as well as by taking catching and effecting stumpings in crucial situations,” he said.
Saha also said that he seeks Dhoni’s advice on batting and wicket-keeping whenever the two get a chance to interact.
“We always talk to each other on every possible opportunity I and Dhoni get. We talk to each other as we did in IPL and India’s Australia tour. He gave me vital tips on how to keep on bouncy tracks and handle pressure while batting. Not only Dhoni, I also talk to other players as well,” he added.
Saha said that he would be looking to pile up some good runs in the upcoming series against the West Indies. Saha has represented India in 11 Tests and has scored 367 runs at an average of nearly 22. Surely he would like to improve his batting record if he wants to remain the number one wicket-keeper in the team.
“The team has done well in the last one year. We have done well in Australia and Sri Lanka, but my individual progress could have been better and would grab the opportunity to come up trumps in West Indies,” he stated.
“I will try to make a good 70-odd run to help the team gain an advantage over the opposition. If I am successful it will be good for me and the side,” further added.
Replying to a question, Saha said he enjoys batting with lower order batsmen because it helps the side to get some vital runs to put up a good total on the scoreboard.
“I like batting with the lower order because scoring vital runs in crunch situations help us put up a good total,” he said.
Calling wicket-keeping a thankless job, the 31-year old said that it is very challenging to keep the wickets in different conditions.
“It is a different challenge for a wicketkeeper to keep in different conditions because it is a thankless job. If I could succeed, it would be good to me and the team,” he said.
Talking about the upcoming series, he said that the team would go into the series with the sole purpose of winning it. India would be looking to complete a hat-trick having won in 2006 and 2011.
“We will go into the series with the combination of Virat and Anil bhai with an intent to win the West Indies series, which we had won last time around when we visited there,” he said.
“This time around as well, the team would go all out to play dominating cricket and win the series,” he added.