5 positives for India from the Kolkata Test
India completed another emphatic victory at the Eden Gardens, on the evening of day 4, by beating New Zealand by 178 runs. With the win, India clinched the three-match series and also went on to become the top-ranked ICC Test Team.
In what was a complete team performance, we take a look at the five most positive aspects that came out of this match for the Men in Blue:
#5 Saha proves his worth in this team
Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha has been around this Indian team for quite some time now. He got his deserved long-run in the team after Dhoni’s retirement from the red-ball cricket.
And he has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. While his wicket-keeping skills have never been in doubt, his batting has been cast under some doubtful clouds time and again. But he has gone ahead and made a statement with his two unbeaten fifties in the second test at his home ground.
In the first innings, he mostly batted with the tail as he dragged India past 300, and in the second innings, he shared a crucial partnership with Rohit Sharma after India lost early wickets and were in a precarious position.
His century in the Caribbean seems to have given him a real boost in confidence and after a string of starts that he couldn’t convert, he is making some vital contributions lower down the order. He completely deserved his Man of the Match award.