Wriddhiman Saha will don the whites in international cricket again when India takes on South Africa, while Rishabh Pant is sidelined after significant performances in England and Australia.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday confirmed that Wriddhiman Saha will start the South Africa Test series as the team's wicketkeeper-batsman, implying that young Rishabh Pant has been dropped for the opening game of India's home leg of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship. Saha must have heaved a sigh of relief, having got a shot at reclaiming his old spot, but was the decision hard on Pant, who has been the only Indian wicketkeeper to score two Test centuries outside of Asia?
Long-due opportunity for Wriddhiman Saha?
Since MS Dhoni's Test retirement in the December of 2014, Wriddhiman replaced the irreplaceable with great ease, becoming an indispensable member of India's Test squad. While his batting numbers may not have matched the levels of Dhoni, Wriddhiman kept exceptionally well even on rank turners leaving many veterans of the sports to even place him above his predecessor in terms of wicketkeeping in Tests.
However, after playing in the opening Test against South Africa last year, Wriddhiman was sidelined with a shoulder injury. He reurned to the sport after recovering from the injury, participating in IPL 2018 for Sunrisers Hyderabad but injured his finger towards the fag end of the league leaving him in doubt for the then-impending England tour. Meanwhile, his shoulder injury had resurfaced and Wriddhiman had to undergo a surgery that subsequently ruled him out for the England series. There were whispers from the dressing room that Wriddhiman would make a comeback in the tour of Australia, but the 34-year-old failed to recover in time.
Wriddhiman eventually marked his return to the gentleman's sport in early 2019 through domestic cricket before featuring as SRH's wicketkeeper towards the end of IPL 2019. And after finally passing the fitness test, Wriddhiman was given an opportunity to be part of the Test squad for the tour of West Indies, although India persisted to Pant.
“It is a norm that when a senior or established player makes a comeback from injury, he is given a chance in the team. So that’s how we have given a comeback opportunity to Wriddhiman Saha," chief Indian selector MSK Prasad had said after announcing India's 15-member squad for two-game West Indies series.
Hard on Rishabh Pant?
Since Wriddhiman's injury in January 2018, India went with Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik in South Africa and England respectively before Pant sealed the deal with his impressive century in the final Test match against England last summer. Pant carried the momentum and notched up yet another century in India’s victorious Test series win in Australia while also equaling veteran wicketkeepers Syed Kirmani and Naren Tamhane's record of most catches by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series (19).
In his 11-Test long career, Pant amassed 754 runs in 18 innings. His average of 44.45 is only second behind Quinton de Kock (minimum of two matches) among wicketkeeper-batsman in Test cricket since his debut while he also has the most number of centuries in the category.
Despite his strong numbers as a batsman, Pant was widely criticised for his poor wicketkeeping skill, while Wriddhiman provided India with a solid glovesman especially in subcontinental conditions. In fact, despite Wriddhiman being out of action for 22 months, CricViz Fielding Ability Rating of +5.7 is the best among Test wicketkeepers in the world since 2017.
"Yes, Saha is fit and fine to go, and he's going to start for us, this series, and his keeping credentials are there for everyone to see," Kohli said at a press conference on the eve of the first Test against South Africa, to be played in Visakhapatnam.
"He's played well for us whenever he's got a chance, with the bat also, and it was unfortunate that he was out for such a long period because of an injury, and according to me he's the best keeper in the world, so in these conditions, with what he's done in the past, he starts for us."
