"An honest coach or someone who just gives hope" - Irfan Pathan reacts to Wriddhiman Saha's comments on Rahul Dravid
Team India's veteran wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha recently disclosed that head coach Rahul Dravid has asked him to consider retiring from international cricket, as the team management is no longer considering him for Test selection.
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan took to Twitter on Sunday (February 20) to react to the recent developments surrounding Saha's axing. He wrote that he prefers an "honest" coach over someone who gives hope to a player, despite knowing that his future with the team is uncertain.
Pathan wrote on Twitter:
"An honest coach Or someone just gives hope even after knowing that a player doesn’t fit in the scheme of things? Your opinion????? For me an honest coach ALWAYS!"
An honest coach Or someone just gives hope even after knowing that a player doesn’t fit in the scheme of things? Your opinion????? For me an honest coach ALWAYS!
Saha was not included in India's Test squad for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka. Apart from the 37-year-old gloveman, the national selectors have also dropped senior players like Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara for the series.
Saha has opted out of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022. He is expected to return to cricketing action with this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He is set to ply trade for Gujarat Lions after being snapped up up by the franchise for ₹1.9 crore at the auction last week.
Rohit Sharma appointed as team India's new Test captain
The selectors have named Rohit Sharma as skipper for the impending two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah will serve as his deputy.
Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour India for three T20Is and two Tests from February 24 to March 16. T20I matches will be played in Lucknow (1st T20I) and Dharamsala (2nd and 3rd T20I). The two Tests will be held in Mohali and Bengaluru respectively.
T20I ✅
ODIs ✅
... and now Tests ✅
Say Hello to #TeamIndia's all-format captain @ImRo45! 👋 👋 https://t.co/5rTNJrlYgm
Team India's Test squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KS Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Sourabh Kumar.
Team India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan.