In tough competition with Gujarat’s Parthiv Patel for the wicketkeeper’s slot for the Indian Test squad, Rest of India’s Bengal glovesman chimes in with 123 at CCI
Rest of India’s Wridhiman Saha during his unbeaten 123 against Gujarat on Day Four of the Irani Cup at Brabourne Stadium yesterday. Left: Cheteshwar Pujara cuts one to the fence. Pic/suersh Karkera
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WriddhimanâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088Saha has always been considered a wicketkeeper-batsman, with his ’keeping skills scoring over his batting prowess. However, he proved that he is no mean bat either, scoring an unbeaten 123 as Rest of India consolidated their position with 266 for four, chasing Gujarat’s 379 for a win on Day Four of the Irani Cup at Brabourne Stadium yesterday.
Rest now require another 113 with six wickets in hands to clinch the Irani Cup for the second straight year on the final day today.
Rest were in a spot of bother when they lost four wickets — Akhil Herwadkar (20), Abhinav Mukund (19), Karun Nair (7) and Manoj Tiwary (7) — for just 63 by the 25th over. But Saha joined his skipper Cheteshwar Pujara (83 not out) and stitched an unbeaten 203 run partnership for the fifth wicket to pull his team out of the woods.
The 32-year-old Bengal batsman who got out without opening his account in the first innings became the third cricketer to score a duck and century in Irani Cup after VB Chandrasekhar and K Bhaskar Pillai. Interestingly, he took on the bowlers by staying out of his crease to disturb their line and length. It paid dividends.
Positive intent
“I decided to play positive cricket and told everyone (in the dressing room), when I walked out to bat, that I am going to attack and I did just that. I also felt that my stance outside the crease indeed affected the opponent’s bowling. And when you have a batting partner like Puji (Cheteshwar Pujara) at the other end, batting becomes easy,” Saha said after the day’s play.
Saha injured his left thigh during the Visakhapatnam Test against England last November and returned for this game after spending a month in rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. After Saha’s injury, Parthiv Patel, who was out of Test reckoning for eight years, came back to the Test team to enjoy reasonable success. When asked about his competition with the diminutive Gujarat ’keeper and his chances of getting back into the Test squad for the one-off Test against Bangaladesh, Saha said: “I never take any pressure. Even when I am playing for Bengal I never think of playing for India. I always like to play freely. He (Parthiv) is also trying and I am also doing the same thing. Now, it is up to the selectors to decide.”
Room for improvement
Saha didn’t show any discomfort while batting and even took the aerial route on several occasions during his 214-ball stay at the crease, hitting 16 fours and three sixes. However, he felt he needs to improve his ’keeping along with his batting. Even though Saha was battling cramps on his hand when on 98, he looked determined to carry on and reached his hundred with a lofted drive over long-off for a boundary off pacer Chintan Gaja’s fuller length delivery.
Though Shah hogged the limelight, Pujara was equally solid at the other end, anchoring the innings with a defensive yet responsible 181-ball 83 in which he hit 10 boundaries.
Brief scores
Gujarat 358 & 246 (Priyank Panchal 73, Chirag Gandhi 70; S Kaul 3-70, S Nadeem 4-64) vs Rest of India 226 & 266-4 (C Pujara 83*, W Saha 123*; Hardik Patel 2-59)
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