"Wriddhiman Saha has nothing left to prove; should take it as entertainment"- Virender Sehwag after GT vs CSK in IPL 2023

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag feels the Gujarat Titans (GT) have given veteran wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha an ideal role to express himself in the powerplay. He believes that it would bring the best out of Saha and would help him give GT the flying starts that they need.

The opening combination of Saha and Shubman Gill was prolific for GT last year and it once again gave them a great start against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening game of IPL 2023.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after the game, Virender Sehwag explained how Wriddhiman Saha proved to be an ideal foil for Shubman Gill. He said:

"If I am in that camp, I will tell Wriddhiman Saha that it's a game of six overs and that he has to enjoy himself and get his team off to a flying start, giving 20 runs in 10 balls. If he carries on, he can score big and we saw that with Punjab when Saha scored a hundred in the final. This would give Gill some space to get himself in and then get going. Saha has nothing left to prove and he should take it as entertainment."

Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary was also a part of the panel and spent many years playing with Wriddhiman Saha in Bengal. He too opened up on how batting at the top brings the best out of Saha in T20s and said:

"I have spent basically my whole career playing alongside Wriddhiman (in Bengal). He often used to ask to let him bat at the top in T20 cricket as it helped him express himself and play his shots. I hope he continues to keep going in this rhythm and enjoys his game and role."

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Manoj Tiwary on Hardik-Nehra backing Wriddhiman Saha

Manoj Tiwary credited GT skipper Hardik Pandya and coach Ashish Nehra for identifying that Wriddhiman Saha still had a lot to offer even towards the twilight of his career.

He feels Hardik and Nehra have the ability to understand the strengths of each player and that's what sets them apart. On this, Tiwary stated:

"Hardik as captain and Ashish Nehra as a coach are a bit ahead of others when it comes to reading the players and backing them. They have also backed Wriddhiman and as you see, both Saha and Gill are giving them solid starts."

Saha and Gill will always have the onus of providing GT with quick-fire starts.