Indian legend Syed Kirmani says Saha dropped at his peak

Wriddhiman Saha has sparked outrage in the Indian media by speaking out against his dismissal from the squad and afterwards exposing a ‘reputed’ journalist for pressuring the wicketkeeper-batter into an interview. People were surprised to hear Saha talk on the two topics. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper is normally cool, and it goes against his character to become public with what’s going on around him and expose the most little things on Twitter.

It all started when Saha was left out of India’s Test team for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Saha has gotten widespread support from the Indian cricket community, whether for his stance on the journalist issue or for disclosing discussions he had with coach Rahul Dravid and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. However, the show continues to take unexpected turns from time to time.

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Former India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani has weighed in on Saha’s expulsion from the squad and is not convinced by the decision. Kirmani believes Saha is the finest wicketkeeper in India right now, but the level of competition he faces, as well as the fact that Saha is on the wrong side of 30, have proven to be damaging reasons for his exclusion from the Indian Test squad.

“I have a lot of respect for this young man. He is, in my opinion, India’s most technically sound wicketkeeper right now. However, the selection committee, team management, and others are preoccupied with something else. Regrettably, he has heavy competition,” Kirmani said to SportsKeeda.

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“This age element has been there for quite some time. I, too, was a victim of this. They didn’t even spare Sachin Tendulkar, did they? I feel that a player matures at the age of thirty; before that, he is still learning. Saha, like myself, has been dismissed from the Indian squad at the top of his career. And why are we just discussing cricketers? What about the decision-makers?”

Saha has opted not to compete in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal this season, although Kirmani feels differently. The 72-year-old veteran, who was a member of India’s World Cup-winning side in 1983, believes that now is not the time for Saha to call it quits and that he should instead focus on making a return.

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“I’m not sure how or what they’ve transmitted to him, so I won’t be able to remark on it. Whatever has transpired, Saha should treat the situation professionally and compete in the Ranji Trophy to force a return,” Kirmani remarked.

“I believe he should continue to play for as long as he is able. I haven’t formally declared my retirement. I had to submit a letter to the BCCI to collect my benefit since there were so many benefit matches back then.”