Wriddhiman Saha has the potential to become world's best wicketkeeper, says Virat Kohli
Indian test team skipper Virat Kohli is all praise for wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha. The 31-year-old cricketer from Bengal has replaced former test Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the test side.
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After India’s second test match against South Africa Indian skipper told reporters, “I really like his (Saha) attitude. He's a very hardworking cricketer. He's willing to do anything the team requires. He's a brilliant keeper and very gutsy with the bat. He's got a good first-class record where he gets a lot of runs in pressure situations. He's still finding his feet in Test cricket.” Since MSD’s retirement from Test cricket in December 2014, Saha has been the primary choice as Indian test side’s wicketkeeper.
While talking about this “brilliant wicketkeeper” Kohli also said, “He's confident of his keeping, I'm sure of that. But when he becomes confident of his batting, with the amount of runs he scores and the impact he makes, he will be that sort of perfect No. 6, No. 7 at times for us. He's someone I see can handle pressure situation well.” In the Sydney test this January, Saha had played Australian fast bowlers well and scored 35 runs in India’s first innings.
The Indian captain also expects Saha to become a better batsman. “He has the sort of belief in him. When he gets more confident with the bat, you will see him developing into a batter (batsman) more than a batter-keeper (batsman-keeper) for the team as well in the near future,” added Kohli.
Wriddhi has played nine Test matches so far with two half centuries against his name. His performance with the bat has not been very impressive in this ongoing series against South Africa but as per his captain, he was willing to do anything for the team.
The second match of the Freedom series resulted in a draw as four days were lost owing to rain and wet outfield. In this four match series, the host team has a lead of 1-0. The third Test begins from November 25 at Nagpur and the final match will be played in Delhi from December 3.