In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times India’s Test keeper Wriddhiman Saha has said that there is no doubt that he is the better keeper and Rishabh Pant is the better batsman. Asked about his take on the comparisons between him and Pant, Saha stated that when Pant takes guard in the middle, he bats with a different level of confidence.
“It is the truth and you can’t deny it. Right from childhood, I have treated myself as a keeper first and then a batsman. Can’t really say what is Rishabh’s opinion on this. But when he takes his stance in the middle and bats the way he does, it exerts a different level of confidence.”
Talking about the team management’s approach to playing two different keepers in the same format, Saha explained that while it doesn’t happen in most countries, as players they have to be okay with it.
“It probably doesn’t happen in any other country. Teams change keepers with different formats but two keepers rotating in the same format after a couple of games doesn’t happen that often but we are all professional cricketers, we have to keep our faith in the team management.”
Not been amongst runs for a while now, Saha has come under criticism from fans and pundits with several claiming that Pant should play ahead of him given his batting abilities.
Unperturbed by the opinions, Saha stated that at the end of the day it is about playing their natural game and what a team is looking for as a combination.
“He (Pant) gets success playing that way. Now once again, it boils down to the team management whether they want to play an extra batsman or a specialist keeper.” Saha elaborated.
Quizzed about Rahane as a captain, Saha reflected that the Indian captain Down Under never let his emotions get the better of him and always kept it cool even in the most stressful situations.
“He is always cool, there is no anger in him. He never lets the emotions get the better of him. I’m sure he too gets excited at times but it doesn’t show on his face. He believes in all the players, pushes all of us to play our natural game,” Saha explained.
On his tactical abilities, Saha expounded that Rahane lets the team to play their own natural game and is not the kind of person who will go forward and impose his ideas on someone.
“For example, he will never stop Rishabh from playing his shots. Obviously, if the game situation demands something different then he will pass on his inputs but in general, he lets the player play his natural game,” Saha concluded.
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