“Main focus will be on domestic cricket and of course IPL” – Wriddhiman Saha on GT turnaround, looking past Team India & more

Wicketkeeping is a thankless job. If a wicketkeeper goes unnoticed in a match, it means they have had a good game. Similar grunt work is also opening the batting in T20 cricket. An opener hogs the spotlight only after batting right through. Because it’s normal for them to score quick runs and get out, right?

Wriddhiman Saha enjoys the best of both worlds. Primarily because, he loves doing both. But also, throughout his career, he has put side before self. Any conversation with the 37-year-old will ooze how he practises and preaches, giving first priority to his team.

IPL 2022 typified it. Not only did Saha, after sitting out the first five matches, grow into becoming a vital cog in the Gujarat Titans (GT) line-up, he also ended up winning the league in what was GT’s first attempt. It will only be fair if we acknowledge his thankless efforts in what was an extremely delicate season for the Bengal lad.

Since the start of the year, almost nothing went right for Wriddhiman Saha. Whichever path he took was fraught with danger. But there is always a way up from a nadir. Things turned a corner when the Titans snapped him up for INR 1.90 crore in the accelerated auction. And as luck would have it, fellow keeper Matthew Wade couldn’t buy a run in the initial rounds, thus prompting Hardik Pandya and Co. to hand over the gloves to India’s finest gloveman.

Saha, though, managed just 36 off 43 balls across his first two outings. But GT didn’t look elsewhere. They chose their players and backed them right through the season – Wade returned to play the last five games – which turned out to be the key to inculcating a healthy team environment and forming a champion team.

Wriddhiman Saha was in the news, again. This time, for something he is best known for – contributing to a team win. His 38-ball 68 against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) set the ball rolling for what turned out to be a potent opening combo of Saha and Shubman Gill. It was clear he had lots going on inside him. And his “Not done yet” post that night was not just a statement to all his detractors, but mainly to himself and his confidence.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Saha reiterated how he gets pleasure out of injecting momentum into an innings - be it with through impetuous batting or idyllic glovework.

A string of brisk starts followed his SRH heroics until he was adjudged Player of the Match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for his patient 67* off 57 balls in a tricky chase. It was only fitting that GT were confirmed to play Qualifier 1 that night. Saha may not have scored much in the knockouts, but he takes solace in the fact that he could bail his team out whenever they needed him.

His international career would probably stay halted at 40 Tests. But someone who is battle-hardened and has always accepted things as they have come, Saha has already charted his way forward.

One thing looks certain, though. Wriddhiman Saha is not done yet.

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Excerpts from Wriddhiman Saha's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda:

Wriddhiman Saha scored 317 runs at an average of 31.70 from 11 innings [Credits: Saha]

Q. You always want to contribute for the team. In this IPL, your contributions have been immense and your team became champions. How does it feel?

Wriddhiman Saha: Winning the IPL or any other tournament is indeed a matter of joy. About this season, many people said it wasn’t a good team, that the middle order wasn’t good, the combinations aren’t good, there wasn’t any finisher, etc. But ultimately, we proved them all wrong and that is a big achievement for us as a team.

Q. You had played four IPL finals before this, winning once in 2011 with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But you have now won with a new team and captain in a season which was critical for you personally as well. Is this one of your most memorable campaigns?

Wriddhiman Saha: I won’t say if this was my favourite season or anything. Because, like I always say, I put the team before myself. But we don’t often get to see a new team being formed and getting success instantly. Plus many from our team, including myself, were unsold on the first day. Some players, who weren’t retained by their former franchise, came here and performed well. Everyone had belief in each other, and that’s why eight (second-best tally in IPL history) of us won Player of the Match.

Q. How did you guys celebrate on the night of the IPL? How was the victory parade the next day?

Wriddhiman Saha: Naturally, that bus ride felt very special. The World Cup-winning team had done it, and now it became possible because of being with this IPL side. The people around us were having fun and we were all celebrating atop the bus.

Q. You had to deal with a lot of off-field issues in the last few months. And a big tournament like the IPL needs you to prepare mentally as well. What was your coping mechanism?

Wriddhiman Saha: Firstly, whatever incidents happened, none of it affected my head. And it wasn’t like I had to prove something or take it as a challenge. Like I said, I always looked to contribute for the team. I practised for it in Kolkata and the rest after joining with the squad.

Q. Not getting bothered by harsh things is a sign of mental toughness, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. How did you get these things out of your head?

Wriddhiman Saha: Only those people who let things into their head, will have to let them out. Since I didn’t get affected by these things in the first place, there was no question of overcoming them.

Q. You had to warm the bench for the first five games. How did you balance the frustration of sitting out and staying prepared for opportunities?

Wriddhiman Saha: Whenever a team is made, combinations are set then and there. Who all will be the first-choice players and who all will be second-string are decided at that point itself. So Ashish Nehra had informed me that they would initially start with Matthew Wade and then make changes accordingly. But then he couldn’t score much and they had to alter the combination, which is why I got the nod. And during that time, whatever I needed to practise, I was continuously doing all of that.

Q. You scored a 38-ball 68 against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). You posted a picture that night captioning, ‘Not done yet’, which showed how much that innings meant to you. If you could please describe those emotions?

Wriddhiman Saha: About that ‘not done yet’, many people might have misinterpreted its meaning. So, many people had called for my retirement. But the fact that I have still got it in me and I am one of only eight players to feature in all 15 seasons of the IPL, means there’s something special. That was the purpose of writing that.

Q. But that innings surely would’ve been an immense confidence booster?

Wriddhiman Saha: We were chasing 200-odd runs [196] and it wouldn’t have been possible, if I didn’t play that aggressively.

Wriddhiman Saha stumps Ayush Badoni as GT bumdled out LSG for 82 to qualify for the knockouts [Credits: Saha]

Q. Your second half-century came against CSK, on a day Gujarat sealed a top-2 spot and you were adjudged Player of the Match. How satisfactory did that feel?

Wriddhiman Saha: Being Player of the Match is definitely an appreciation. But like I always say, a good start – even if I score some 25-30 runs – always creates momentum and helps the rest of the batters. I am personally happy that I could contribute to the betterment of the team. So I always derive happiness from playing selfless cricket and always putting the team before myself.

Q. In the mid-season presser, you spoke about how the GT team management gave everyone clarity on their roles. What was the communication with you?

Wriddhiman Saha: I feel that, if some franchise doesn’t play me at the top and instead slots me in the middle order, then it is obviously a bad choice. Because how I open the innings and like to play those risky shots in the powerplay, the rewards of that are also more. Probably I do not have a strong built like Chris Gayle, Dhoni or Russell, who can stand and hit sixes. Which is what is needed at the death. So it’ll be better for the team if they use me in a position I am comfortable. Not everyone wants to clear the in-field and look for boundaries from the word go, because that comes with the risk of getting out.

Q. In T20 cricket, the focus is more on batters and bowlers. But how important is the role of a wicketkeeper who dives around to save runs, which become crucial in a format of small margins?

Wriddhiman Saha: Yeah obviously, I have always tried to do that. And sometimes, despite diving full stretch, the ball was out of my reach. But if there are suppose 10-12 wide deliveries and, if there is an opportunity to save runs or get wickets, I always feel happy if I can change the momentum and contribute for the team. And the kind of keeping I have come doing all these years, I try to maintain the same standards and let people see it’s not over yet.

Q. In a world driven by stats and videos, Ashish Nehra relies on the traditional methods of using pen and paper. A few words on him?

Wriddhiman Saha: I have noticed this thing about our franchise that, if we sit down for a meeting, it’s not like we have to compulsorily do it for 30-40 minutes. The key has been to do everything in a simple way and, if that gets our meeting over in 7 minutes, then it’s done. There is no need to extend it and everyone is flexible in their own way.

About Nehra, he has played in the Indian team for a long time and has also been part of the IPL. He has even played with and against some of the current players, so he knows their mental set-up – he has an idea of what players want during the IPL.

Sometimes it happens that people come in as coach and, despite having the idea, tries too hard to prove things to people just because they are now the coach. That gets things a bit monotonous, but Nehra has always shared inputs with a smile and kept the mood of the camp upbeat. That’s why, we never felt that we won’t be able to get through to him with anything.

Q. How do you analyse Hardik’s growth as a person and cricketer through this captaincy stint?

Wriddhiman Saha: Whenever you are captain, how the responsibility of the team and the hunger to contribute increase, he has shown exactly that. He was batting at No. 6 or No. 7 in the Mumbai Indians (MI), getting just three-four overs at most, and hence had to start playing shots immediately after coming in. But coming here, he had to change his game for batting at No. 4 and ended up scoring almost 500 runs. Add to that his bowling. So it wasn’t an easy task at all. And that’s why our middle order comprising David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan could also capitalise on the momentum.

Q. Since the three finishers were in great form, did that take slight load off the shoulder of the top order?

Wriddhiman Saha: The thing is all of us had belief in each other. Suppose someone is going out to open the innings, the No. 11 player is coming and saying we’ll do it. And then, when someone is walking out at No. 5 with 18 runs to get in the last over, everyone is saying we’ll get it.

Q. You couldn’t score much in the playoffs. Your family was in attendance for the Qualifier 1. Is there a sense of regret there? Or do you feel satisfied that you put your hand up whenever the team needed you?

Wriddhiman Saha: Yeah that is my first priority, and then comes individual goals. It would’ve been obviously great to get runs in front of my family, but there can be no greater satisfaction than your team winning.

GT edged out RR by 7 wickets in Qualifier 1 to progress to the final [Credits: GT]

Q. Talking about last over from Prasidh Krishna at the Eden Gardens, how was the atmosphere in the dressing room before and after those three sixes?

Wriddhiman Saha: Yeah that’s the belief I am talking about. Like how we scored 25 runs in the last over against SRH, and we pulled off a similar thing against Chennai as well with Rashid Khan and David Miller finishing it off. So similarly, we had to get 17 runs here and Eden is such a ground where if you get a good contact with the ball, it will be a boundary. Both of them were set and we always believed that we’ll get those runs.

Q. Chasing just 131 in the final, at what point were you convinced that GT will be IPL champions this year?

Wriddhiman Saha: In the final, even though we lost wickets at the start, at no point did we feel that we won’t be able to do it. The way we were playing, there was always the belief that we will get there.

Q. How big a role did the 1 lakh-plus crowd play at the Motera?

Wriddhiman Saha: Yeah definitely. We had practised here, we had an idea of how the wicket was. Plus there were so many people cheering for us. We were playing well, had momentum on our side. So everything had its contribution.

Q. What does your way forward look like? Are you targeting domestic cricket to stage a national comeback or do you want to focus on the IPL?

Wriddhiman Saha: Since it has been officially made clear by the Indian team management that I won’t get picked, my main focus will be on domestic cricket – if and when I play – and then of course IPL.

Q. Do you intend to play county cricket at any point?

Wriddhiman Saha: No, no. As it is, it is difficult to devote time to the family, so I just want to spend some quality time with them now.