India Test wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha is disappointed after being axed from the India squad for Sri Lanka series. Saha has played only two Tests since December 2020. He was always part of the squad in every series India played. The two Tests Saha played in this phase were against Australia and New Zealand. Rishabh Pant has been the preferred wicketkeeper in the longest format in the same period. Meanwhile, after being dropped, the Siliguri-born revealed that after hitting 61 runs against the Kiwis last year, he was asked not to worry about his place in the team by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
“When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a pain-killer in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dadi (as Sourav was referred to by Bengal players) congratulated me over WhatsApp,” he said.
“He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything so long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board president really boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast.â€
The 37-year-old added that he has been told by team management including the head coach that he won’t be considered in the team from now on. The wicketkeeper has still not been able to accept his axing. However, he had refused to speak on his axing earlier. Saha said that even coach Rahul Dravid suggested him to consider retirement.
“The team management had told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup,†said the 37-year-old.
“Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement,†he added.
