Dinesh Karthik has expressed empathy for the fellow India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, saying it’s very hard when the team management decides to move on and look ahead but said the Bengal gloveman is mature enough to understand the decision. Saha had created a flutter when he revealed private conversations with head coach Rahul Dravid and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly a day after he received a snub from the Test squad for the upcoming 2-match series against Sri Lanka.
During a recent chat with ICC, Dinesh Karthik said, “I’m pretty sure from wherever I’ve seen with Wriddhiman’s interviews, he understands where this decision is coming from. I know no cricketer is going to accept that when you’re being told to move on. It is a very hard one because this is what they’ve been doing day in and day out. So when somebody comes in says, ‘I think your time is done,’ it can be a hard one to swallow.”
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Dinesh Karthik added that it is clear that Rishabh Pant has established himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper and that the team management is looking to groom youngsters. Saha had traveled with Team India to the rainbow nation, but he was warming the benches during the 3-Test series.
Explaining the same, Dinesh Karthik said, “You can see Rishabh Pant has pretty much nailed his place in the team. So then, you can understand which direction the Indian team is going in where they feel that if it’s going to be a second keeper role, then they’ll look at somebody younger. Just like MS Dhoni came in all those years ago, we’ve had a Rishabh Pant who’s come in over the last couple of years and has done really well.”
Meanwhile, Karthik was seen showering praises on Saha, saying he has rated the Bengal stumper as the best gloveman in the world, by a distance. Saha last played for India against New Zealand in a home Test series and scored an important fifty to help the team draw the first Test. The 37-year-old has scored 1353 runs, including 3 centuries.
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Explaining the same, Dinesh Karthik said, ” I think he has been one of those brilliant, quiet servants of Indian cricket who has done so well over a period of years. He is still one of the best wicketkeepers in the world, by a distance I rate him as the best wicketkeeper in the world. He has got great hands, he moves really well… he is a terrific wicketkeeper. And add to the fact, he has a few centuries in international cricket and played some really crucial, important knocks when Team India needed it.”
Wriddhiman Saha, who skipped the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, will be taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought by Gujarat Titans, who will be led by Hardik Pandya in the new season.
