Wriddhiman Saha won’t play for Bengal cricket team after being part of the set-up for close to 15 years. While it is unfortunate, the decision was unavoidable as per Saha.
Rated one of India’s best wicketkeepers, Saha is equally adept with the bat. So when the 37-year-old’s integrity was questioned, Saha confessed it had been “disappointing” to hear such “comments”
Saha has hogged the limelight in the recent past entailing a widely known dispute with Boria Majumdar. In short, Saha had alleged that a sports journalist had threatened him for an interview, which Majumdar rejected claiming Saha had adulterated the chats as per the screenshots that Saha had posted. Later, Boria Majumdar was banned by BCCI for two years, after a panel found Majumdar guilty of intimidating Saha.
Saha also shed some light on his future plans in Indian domestic cricket circuit. He confirmed that he was not going to partake in the Ranji Trophy knockout stage as part of the Bengal team, even after being selected in the squad and that he was “very sad” about it. The wicketkeeper-batter also revealed that even though his destination wasn’t final yet, he was in talks with multiple associations.
“I have spoken to a lot of people, but no decision has been taken yet. There is still time left for next season…” he said.
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)’s president Avishek Dalmiya and head coach Arun Lal tried their level best they were unable to change Saha’s mind. Saha was no doubt perturbed by a CAB official’s comments last year that questioned his commitment to Bengal cricket.
“For me, too, it is a very sad feeling that I have to go through something like this after playing for Bengal for so long. It is disappointing that people make such comments and question your integrity. As a player, I had never faced such a thing in the past, but now that it has happened, even I need to (move on),” Saha told Sportstar.
Having represented Bengal in 122 first-class matches, Saha also has 102 List A games to his name. The veteran stumper also confirmed that he has informed CAB of his decision to not play but would meet the CAB president in person to complete formalities and collect his NoC.
“Since I had made up my mind that I won’t play for Bengal, I had informed (the Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya) over phone. But I will meet him in person and finalise the formalities,” Saha added.
When asked about his stint with maiden franchise Gujarat Titans, where he looked indispensable, Saha said, “I just went to the IPL to contribute to Gujarat Titans and help them win. I am glad that we won the title, but I am not thinking too much about what will happen next or what should have happened. My job was to perform and I just did that.”
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