Indian Test specialist wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha’s availability for the Australian tour is under a big question mark as he has recently claimed that around four more months will take to getting him fully recovered.
Since MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, Saha has set his spot in the Test cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman through his consistently impressive performances. But since the last South Africa tour in early this year, Saha is facing continuous fitness issues that are hampering his limited chances in the international cricket.
Talking about his recent fitness issues, Saha told Cricbuzz in an interview, “When I came for a rehab from the South Africa tour, my shoulder injury was detected, which probably was because of some dive or something I can’t remember. I recovered fully after that. Then came the IPL where I injured my shoulder because of a couple of dives. I injured my thumb after I came back towards the latter stages in the IPL.”
When the 33-year-old was asked his recovery period, unsure Saha has claimed that it will take around four months to get fully recovered. It means that Saha is going to miss the next two-match home Test series against Windies in this October, while his availability is unsure ahead of the important four-match Test series in Australia, starting from 6 December 2018.
Talking about his recovery, Saha said, “As per the doctors, it varies from body to body as far as full recovery is concerned. Safe to say, it will take four months. Getting back on the field is not on my mind right now, my focus is to just do the things I am being told to on a daily basis. I have just started the rehab two days back at the NCA, I haven’t been told how long I would need to be here. But yes, a stretch of 3-4 months can take a toll, so I will be given breaks and be with family, come back and resume the rehab, something on these lines.”
At next, Saha was asked about his near future planning which he replied that he has no long-time planning, just rising with the time progresses.
Saha told on that, “Trust me, I am not thinking about how the positions would be in the team in four months’ time. I don’t talk about it to my wife, parents, and I am telling you the same thing. It is always 3-4 days ahead of a game that I start thinking hard about the game. The thought now is whenever I return, I will try to do my best in the domestic games. I don’t know at what stage of the tournament will I return. It is about day by day work on this shoulder.”
During that interview, Saha also revealed some interesting things prior to his Test debut. It was back in February 2010, when Rohit Sharma was the favourite to replace injured VVS Laxman in the home Test series against South Africa. While Sharma was then a well-experienced cricketer in limited-overs cricket, he had yet to make his Test debut but an unlucky injury delayed his Test debut for three more years and Saha get the lucky call in the Test squad.
Saha explained that story, “Rohit had done well in the practice game and hence was calling in for the injured VVS Laxman. We were playing handball, Rohit was trying to dismiss me by touching me, poor thing that he landed awkwardly around my boot and twisted his ankle. He went off immediately, I didn’t know it would turn out to be so unfortunate for him. He then made his debut some four years later, right?”
However, the under-prepared Saha was surprised on his debutant call as then Indian skipper MS Dhoni gave his debuting news just before the toss.
Saha recalled, “Dhoni, just before going for the toss, told me that I was going to play. I was certainly not mentally prepared, Gary Kirsten was the coach then. During those two days of practice ahead of the game, he had told me that I won’t be playing, so I could practice on my own. I faced the net bowlers, kept to them, didn’t play against Zaheer, Ishant, Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh. And then see, all of a sudden, I am facing Dale Steyn.”
