Wriddhiman Saha gets a clear message after another snub, it looks like the end

Wriddhiman Saha will be devastated after he was overlooked by the selectors yet again.

He was left out of the first two Test matches against Australia as selectors opted to go with Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat in the team.

Wriddhiman Saha said last year that head coach Rahul Dravid gave him an indication that the player won't be considered for a selection anymore. Dravid told Saha that the Indian team was looking for a younger alternative for the future and Wriddhiman was told to think of his future.

The keeper was left baffled as he just played a decent knock against New Zealand and those words from Rahul Dravid may have felt like a bolt from blue. He also revealed chief selector Chetan Sharma also conveyed his thoughts.

"Chetan Sharma told me that they will not consider me for the Sri Lanka series. I asked him whether it is just for the Sri Lanka series, or is it also beyond that? He took a pause and then said, from now on, you will not be considered," Saha stated.

But all of these stories are from last year, when Rishabh Pant was being regarded as the inevitable first choice. But Pant's accident means the southpaw will now be missing the majority of the year. But still, Saha was not considered for the Australia Tests. KS Bharat is included while Ishan Kishan has got the nod ahead of the veteran.

Wriddhiman has served India well since the retirement of MS Dhoni in Test cricket. The former Bengal player is an outstanding wicketkeeper and many regard him as the best man behind the stumps in India. His work behind the stumps is quite unmatched, but his batting has been an issue.

Wriddhiman Saha Test Stats:

Wriddhiman Saha has scored 1353 runs in 40 Tests, at an average of just below 30. The wicketkeeper-batter has 6 fifties and 3 hundreds to his name. He made his debut in 2010 and played his last match against New Zealand in December 2021.

Saha is not the elite when it comes to batting, but his work with the gloves overshadows everyone at the moment. The efficacy of the player behind the wicket is excellent. His ability to read spinners, swiftness, agility is next to none but the player has got the axe.

Saha switched his domestic allegiance to Tripura this season and has done well for them. He has scored a hundred against Punjab and then managed another half-century against Railways in the most recent match.

Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, has been a superb performer in the limited overs format, but not so with the red ball. He has scored 346 runs in his last 10 Ranji innings, with a hundred and a fifty apiece. The young swashbuckler from Jharkhand will be hoping to emulate the career of his role model MS Dhoni, who also hails from Jharkhand.

What it means for Saha:

But for Saha, it looks like the final blow to his India hopes. With Pant out injured, Saha would have hoped to be in the team. But selectors have ignored that and have quite vividly given the harsh message to the 38-year-old. There is no doubt about Saha's credentials as a keeper, but lack of prolificness with the bat coupled with age has put a dent in his India hopes.

With the Indian team looking to move forward with fresh blood and the exuberance of youth, the arithmetic of Saha's age has made the telling blow despite his fitness and playing prowess.

Saha is a fighter though. The player made it clear to Rahul Dravid and Chetan Sharma that he won't call it a day and will keep pushing himself to wear the India colours again. The wicketkeeper has taken up a new challenge in the domestic circuit and has the chance to prove himself as IPL comes knocking. But despite all his efforts, it looks bending the perceptions of India's selection hierarchy will be too much for the ever-smiling Bengali.

The message seems clear. It looks like the end of the road for Wriddhiman Saha in the Indian setup.