25 January,2017 08:37 AM IST | | Subodh Mayure
National chief selector MSK Prasad made it clear that Wriddhiman Saha is the No.1 Test wicketkeeper-batsman in the country and he will play in the one-off Test against Bangladesh next month
National chief selector MSK Prasad made it clear that Wriddhiman Saha is the No.1 Test wicketkeeper-batsman in the country and he will play in the one-off Test against Bangladesh next month. Prasad also indicated that Saha was out of action owing to a leg injury and the Irani Cup game was not a trial but a match to test his fitness.
While Parthiv Patel made a good comeback to Test cricket with two half-centuries followed by a Ranji Trophy-winning hundred against Mumbai, Saha played one of the best knocks in Irani Cup history as his 203 not out enabled Rest of India chase down a near 400-run target yesterday. "Saha was out of the team because of injury and not because he was out of form. He was man-of-the-match in the Kolkata Test against New Zealand and got a hundred in the West Indies. I am happy with the way Parthiv has responded to the call-up. He is a fighter to the core. He single handedly brought Gujarat from nowhere to be Ranji champions. He is very much in our scheme of things. There is just a minor difference between the two. When it comes to Test cricket, it's the man who keeps better that gets the nod," said Prasad.
However, the former India stumper said that Parthiv remained in the scheme of things as he considers the Gujarat glovesman the No 2 wicketkeeper in India.
"Right now, Saha and Parthiv are the No. 1 and No. 2 wicketkeepers that we have in India. Parthiv's glovework has definitely improved, but Saha has got better hands and that's where he scores more points than Parthiv. With yesterday's knock, Saha showed why he is the No. 1 wicketkeeper-batsman in the country. When he came out to bat, the team were struggling at 64-4 and to take the game away from Gujarat was phenomenal. It's healthy competition between the two," said Prasad.
