Ashish Ranjan
Wriddhiman Saha, a veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, has withdrawn from the impending Duleep Trophy to make room for younger and up-and-coming cricketers. The 38-year-old cricketer opted out of one of India’s most prestigious domestic tournaments, which is dominated by players aspiring to make the national team.
Tripura selector Jayanta Dey contacted Wriddhiman Saha to replace Ishan Kishan in the East Zone squad after Kishan opted out of the competition due to his commitment to the India team’s Windies tour in the first week of July. Saha, who is not in contention for a place on the national team, declined the opportunity to participate in the competition.
Saha, who switched to Tripura following a dispute with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), informed the Tripura selector that he does not wish to impede the prospects of a national hopeful since he will not be considered for the national team. Jayanta Dey verified that young wicketkeeper-batsman Abhishek Porel, who made his IPL debut in the 16th edition of the tournament, will be the East Zone’s first-choice wicketkeeper.
“To be fair to Wriddhiman, he stated that the Duleep Trophy is for India’s aspiring cricketers. If I will never play for India, it makes no sense to prevent an inexperienced player from making a case. Therefore, we chose Abhishek Porel, our third option,” Jayanta told PTI.
Rishabh Pant’s emergence contributed to Saha’s departure from the Indian national team.
Despite Rishabh Pant’s injury-related absence from the red-ball side, Saha has not been considered for a national recall. Since MS Dhoni’s departure from the longest format of the game, the seasoned cricketer has been the first pick for the Test squad.
Also See | Virat Kohli started the fight,I dealt with the situation: Naveen-ul-Haq
However, the remarkable emergence of Pant on the international scene relegated Saha to the bench, with current head coach Rahul Dravid delivering a bombshell about his future in 2022. Apparently, the former Indian captain informed Saha that the team will not be selecting him in the future.
