Wriddhiman Saha, India wicketkeeper-batsman has commended India captain Virat Kohli for being approachable in a recent interview. He also revealed that while Virat Kohli is approachable, some of the stalwarts of the game weren’t when he first joined the Indian team.
Wriddhiman Saha opened up about Virat Kohli’s dressing room behavior when he was asked about his India seniors and teammates.
Wriddhiman Saha: Virat Kohli Is Easily Approachable
36-year-old Wriddhiman Saha was the first cricketer to score a century in an Indian Premier League final. He currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League since 2018 after representing KKR, CSK, and KXIP. He debuted in 2010 and played 38 Tests and 9 ODIs for India. He was effusive in his praise for Virat Kohli.
“In the dressing room, he is one of us. When I joined the team years ago, I saw all the stalwarts. I was a junior then and it wasn’t always easy to approach them. It is very easy to access Kohli. He keeps his stardom aside when he is with his fellow teammates,” Wriddhiman Saha told the Times of India.
Wriddhiman Saha also recollected the time he was given his India cap by Sachin Tendulkar.
“When I debuted, there were Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and many other legends in the team, along with Sachin. It was Sachin who gave me his cap – the debut cap. That way, he will always remain very special to me.”
After staying on the sidelines during the MS Dhoni revolution, he was called up to the national side in 2010, when he was surprisingly picked as reserve wicket-keeper for the home series against the Proteas. He impressed after MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, more so as a keeper than as a batsman.
Impressing with his quick reflexes and acrobatic wicket-keeping skills he has now become the regular keeper in Tests but is facing stiff competition from Rishabh Pant who is improving both as batsman and keeper.
Wriddhiman Saha Hasn’t Been Regularly Playing For SRH In IPL 2019-2020
In IPL 2021, Wriddhiman Saha will be plying his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The wicketkeeper-batsman has joined their camp in Chennai and is expected to resume training after serving his quarantine period.
During the interview, Wriddhiman Saha also shared insights into traveling and playing during these tough times, saying : “It’s not easy. Now that I will join my team, I will have to stay isolated for a week. There will be three COVID-19 tests conducted back-to-back on the second, fifth and seventh day. Once we clear that, we will be able to meet, greet and start our practice together.”
In the last two years, Wriddhiman Saha hasn’t been a regular feature in the SRH playing XI. He featured in five games in 2019 and another four in 2020. Even though he performed decently in the opportunities that he got, accommodating him in the team has been tough given the extreme competition for places.
He has played 124 IPL games since debuting in IPL’s inaugural year 2008 and is nearing 2000 runs averaging around 25. He hit a ton which went in vain in IPL 2014 final.
Sunrisers Hyderabad will start their Indian Premier League 2021 campaign against fellow former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on 11 April, in what will be the third match of the season. Sunrisers Hyderabad, which released the least number-5 players ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, also bought the least number-3 players during the mini-auction. With Rs. 10.75 salary cap available for them, Sunrisers Hyderabad had the minimum budget.
With most of their earlier players retained, SRH went ahead to buy Kedar Jadhav for Rs. 2 crores. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman was Sunriser Hyderabad’s second purchase, whom they bought for Rs. 1.5 crore. The David Warner-led team had only one spot available for an overseas player, and they went ahead with buying the Afghanistan spinner. Jagadeesha Suchith was the third cricketer on which Hyderabad invested their money, buying the Indian bowler for Rs. 30 lakh.