3 young specialist wicket-keepers India can groom to replace Wriddhiman Saha in Tests
India could have had a tough time searching a specialist wicket-keeper for Tests after MS Dhoni's retirement from the longest format of the game, but luckily for them, they had a certain Wriddhiman Saha. Not very astute with the bat, but the Shaktigarh lad is exceptional behind the stumps, which made him the keeping mainstay in Virat Kohli's Indian Test team.
He has been missing some cricket off late due to injury, but the magnitude of his injury was not known to all until very recently. After reportedly meeting three doctors and taking as many injections, Saha will have to go through a surgery, which will force him to stay out of cricket for a long time. He will be turning 34 this October, and many have been questioning the time he has left for cricket.
BCCI has selected Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant for the upcoming 5-match Test series against India. Many former cricketers and pundits have expressed their views about the importance of grooming a specialist keeper for the future. Former cricketers Kiran More and Syed Kirmani have highlighted the importance of having a great keeper in the team for Tests, even if he is not that good a batter. Let us have a look at 3 such future prospects, barring Pant, who can replace Saha:
#3 N Jagadeesan
Amongst the three mentions in this list, Narayan Jagadeesan is perhaps the most 'unknown' player. But for those who watch Tamil Nadu Premier League or the followers of Indian domestic cricket, this young lad from Coimbatore is something special. The 22-year-old has incredible first-class and List A averages.
Playing for Tamil Nadu, Jagadeesan has scored 437 runs in FC cricket at an impressive average of over 40. There can be no arguments over his keeping skills. In last year's Ranji Trophy, Jagadeesan took 17 catches and inflicted two stumpings in 9 games, thereby getting his name in the list of top 10 keepers of the season.