Saha rises to the occasion

Touted the best wicket-keeper in the country in the longer format, Wriddhiman Saha’s Test debut, ironically enough, was as a specialist batsman in Nagpur against South Africa in 2010.
A freak injury to Rohit Sharma just before the toss forced the team management to hand Saha his Test cap. He managed a duck and 36 in that match and had to wait for two more years to earn another match – this time in Adelaide when MS Dhoni was suspended for a match for slow over-rate in 2012. The trend continued for the Bengal stumper who got his next chance again after two years and again in Adelaide with Dhoni sitting out due to an injury in December 2014. It wasn’t until the former India captain announced his retirement from Tests after the Melbourne tie of the same series that Saha became a permanent fixture in the 11.
   
The 32-year-old player has so far lived up to his reputation as the best man with the big gloves. This stated quality was once again underscored during the second Test here against Sri Lanka on a pitch that kept both batsmen and the wicket-keeper guessing. It was difficult to predict how the next ball would behave – whether it would kick off, turn big or keep low. That Saha gave away just four byes (a four off Hardik Pandya) in two innings combined on that tricky pitch was a true reflection of his commendable work behind the stumps. His basics are strong and his improvisation and adaptability to different conditions are admirable.
         
“It is a basic,” said Saha talking about the importance of getting up at the right time. “I have been seeing and learning this from childhood that you have to get up with the bounce of the ball, but on this track there was more bounce so I changed a bit to get up a fraction earlier. If you have to adjust to the bounce you have to get up a little early and it went well,” he remarked.

Saha said he enjoyed keeping to spinners on difficult pitches because it keeps him on his toes and helps him stay focused on the job. “I enjoy keeping to him on such wickets,” he said when asked about his keeping to Ravindra Jadeja. “On such wickets if a lot of balls come to the keeper it is good, otherwise we only get 10-12 balls all day coming to us. If you get more balls coming to you then you are always more focused, so I enjoyed keeping to (R) Ashwin and Jadeja on this wicket.”

Saha’s effort during the Test reaffirmed the team management’s faith in him and skipper Virat Kohli went as far as anointing him as the best in Test format.

 “If the captain is saying this then it is a big morale boost, because it is not an easy job keeping wickets,” Saha noted. “What I have done is for the team and I haven’t thought about it actually that I want to be the best in the world. I am trying to deliver whatever I have learnt since childhood. It depends on the pitch and how I have to make adjustments. I keep talking with the fielding coach (R) Sridhar as well as to how to apply myself,” he observed.