Ajinkya Rahane’s India comeback could be an inspiration for cricketers with rich experience but one such player, Wriddhiman Saha, on Friday said he’s only focused on the immediate task at hand, which is doing well for his IPL franchise Gujarat Titans . Saha, who opens the batting for GT, is an integral member of the side. “He (Rahane) might have been reconsidered because he has done well. But I’m only focused on doing well for GT as of now,” Saha told reporters, when asked if he’s also eyeing an India comeback after Rahane was picked for the WTC Final. The 38-year-old, who last played for India in red-ball cricket in December 2021, was asked to “move on” and later fell out with then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly after his public outburst in the media.
At domestic level, also he snapped his 15-year association with his home state Bengal and moved away to Tripura as mentor-cum-player.
“Kolkata is my home, I’ve played many matches here. Now, I’m playing for an away team. Motera is my home (in IPL). Conditions are different.” There may have been a rise in wicketkeeper-batters with a slam-bang approach with the advent of T20 cricket but Saha still follows the old philosophy.
“I’ve always been a wicketkeeper first, then a batter. I still have the same belief in me. I don’t know about other keepers. In my point of view, someone who does well as a wicketkeeper and then contribute for the team is better,” Saha said.
Despite giving the team a brisk start, a big score is still eluding Saha.
“I always tried to give good start. I’m happy if I get the team momentum. A hundred does not matter if your team goes on to lose. I’m happy with scoring a 25 or 50 if the team wins.” The last time both teams clashed, KKR pulled off a heist at Motera where Rinku Singh smashed Yash Dayal five sixes in a row in the final over of the game.
“Such things happen once in 1000 or one lakh matches. It was Rinku’s day, not Yash’s.” Saha said that loss will have no bearing on this match.
But since that match, the rookie GT pacer Dayal is down with an illness and has not played.
“His illness has nothing to getting hit for five sixes. It’s not game related. He has been suffering from heat fever. He has been unwell. Mentally he is okay. You have to face such situations. He didn’t get his yorkers right that night. We all have boosted him up. He’s better now. There is no connection with this match,” Saha said.
Hardik on Tuesday after the GT’s comfortable victory against Mumbai Indians shared that Dayal lost about 7-8 kilos due to illness after Rinku’s onslaught.
Enquired about Dayal during the post-match show on Star Sports, GT captain Hardik had said, “I can’t confirm that (on his chances of Yash Dayal playing again this season). He fell ill and lost 7-8 kilos after that match. There was a spread of viral infection during that period and also due to the pressure he had faced, his condition is presently not good enough to take the field. Someone’s loss is someone’s gain at the end of the day. It is going to take a long time before we see him on the field.”
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