The 5 best moments of Wriddhiman Saha's Test career 

Overlooking the tired and jaded set of international cricketers, who had started the first day of the 1st Test match of the series with expectations galore, the sun shone its brightest just minutes before it would set into oblivion over the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The Indian Cricket Team had done well to restrict their counterparts Australia to a relatively easy score and the last ten overs was just a play in motion. Awaiting the call of stumps; hoping to walk away sooner than later, away from the scorching heat towards the comforts of the dressing room.

A swinging delivery by Umesh Yadav, aimed away from the batsman Steve O’Keefe. Edged. Usually enough to go past the outstretched hands of the wicket-keeper and first slip, as it would land silently in no-man’s land, amidst ooohs and aaahs from the fielding side. But not this time.

An alert Wriddhiman Saha flung himself to his right as if his whole life depended on that one ball. Eyes firmly fixed towards his goal; an outstretched figure in the air, gliding like a smooth object as the ball firmly nestled in his gloves. The Superman from India had accorded one of the most memorable catches of the season thus far.

That catch was simply not just a mere catch. It was an amalgamation of Saha’s years of patience and perseverance as he was constantly overlooked due to MS Dhoni’s presence in the squad. It reflected his innate desire to ‘catch’ hold of every opportunity that came by, even though he know that Dhoni’s presence would push him off the radar.

His Test debut, way back in 2010, was won after injuries to VVS Laxman and Rohit Sharma. His second Test came two years later when Dhoni was fined and suspended for slow overrate. His third was in 2014, when the then captain had suffered an injury and was unable to travel to Australia for the first match of the Test series.

Having exemplified grit and dedication in the few limited chances that he received early on in his career, Saha remains a cricketer who is willing to push himself in all aspects, well aware that his journey from a regular squad member to a regular member of the Test team has been replete with constant obstacles and hard-earned compliments.

---

#5 A lucky debut amidst injuries

Saha impressed on his debut

Luck favours the brave, they say. It presents itself in unexpected opportunities and moments that leave one surprised, bewildered and full of joy. And so it panned out for Wriddhiman Saha, who had been drafted into the Bengal Ranji team after Deep Dasgupta joined the rebellious Indian Cricket League in 2007. Having scored a hundred on debut for Bengal, Saha vastly impressed his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Ricky Ponting, who effusively praised the youngster for his wicket-keeping skills and his calm demeanour.

But this is where it seemed almost unfortunate. With captain Dhoni still going strong, a place for Saha in the national team looked bleak. For the South Africa series in 2010, he was asked to join the squad as the back-up wicketkeeper. But it was unanimously assumed that he would just remain a touring player, with his chances of getting a game being next to nought.

Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh had already been ruled out of the crucial Test series with Rohit Sharma and Subramaniam Badrinath being called in as replacements. However, injuries to Rohit and VVS Laxman paved the way for an unlikely Test debut for Saha in Nagpur in the very first game of the series.

With South Africa managing a mammoth 558/6d in the first innings, the onus was on the Indian batsmen to go within sniffing distance of the target. However, the team was shot out for just 233, with Saha having a nightmarish start to his international career, being bowled by Dale Steyn for zero.

With Graeme Smith inflicting a follow-on, the Indians had to play out of their skins to avoid an embarrassing humiliation. When Saha came out to bat in the second innings, India were still 133 runs away from overhauling South Africa. In the next 101 deliveries, he fought tooth and nail to hold one crease up, fighting his way to a hard-fought 36, which was the third highest score in India’s second innings. He stitched together a 50-run partnership with Harbhajan Singh for the seventh wicket and with Zaheer Khan, he put on 59 runs for the eighth.

Even though his efforts were unable to save India from an innings defeat, it showed his resilience and his knack of playing with the lower-middle order, a skill not possessed by many.

#4 As the wicket crumbles, Saha stands strong

Saha negotiated some potent bowling against the Proteas

As the pitch at Jamtha was crumbling in the infamous Test match in Nagpur against South Africa in 2015, the Proteas fast bowlers had found their own groove, reverse swinging and bouncing off canons towards the Indian batting attack with venom.

With India stuttering at 116/5, in walked Wriddhiman Saha at the venue of his Test debut, with a stern challenge awaiting him. He had showed his mettle in 2010. He would have to do it again. With Dhoni leaving the stage in the middle of India’s tour to Australia, Saha had insured his entry into the Test arena, courtesy him being the best wicket keeper in India. But question marks on his batting form still remained.

He had shone, but just briefly in encounters in Adelaide, Sydeny, Colombo and Galle, showing off his stamina and his mental strength as he carried on unabashedly while the team collapsed around him.

The day at Jamtha was no different. As Saha entered the world of Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada’s pace and bounce, he had to shut everything off and focused solely on manipulating the good length deliveries by defending, driving or cleverly playing across the ball’s line.

By the time his innings had ended 106 deliveries later, he had shown his more famed teammates the tenacity to hold on, even when the world around appeared menacing. His 106-ball stay fetched him 32 runs, which when put into perspective remains an credible task indeed.

Not only was Saha the second highest run-scorer for India in the first innings, he faced the maximum number of deliveries in the innings, with Virat Kohli coming a distant second, having faced 55 balls.

On a pitch that was later deemed unfit for Test cricket, Saha’s mature handling of not only accurate bowling but also the demons that the 22-yards threw up, firmly established himself as a crucial cog in the Indian batting order.

#3 6 years later, a maiden Test century!

Saha scored his first ton against the Windies

Small goals are firmly set in place before every cricketer turns out to play for his nation who considers Test cricket as the holy-grail. The maiden Test cap. The first 5-wicket haul and the first Test hundred. A moment that reveals to the player that he does belong to the grandest stage in international arena; a special occasion that gives birth to a possible hero.

Wriddhiman Saha’s journey from being a constant back-up to MS Dhoni to finally finding himself a spot was effused with its own challenges. However, even though he had surpassed the former captain with his skills behind the stumps, he failed to consistently justify his role as a number seven batsman, with awe-inspiring knocks being few and sparse in between.

In his 14th Test match in the third Test match against West Indies in Gros Islet in St. Lucia, Saha walked out to bat with India struggling at 126/5, with the line-up being diced open by the guile of Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase.

The management had given a clear indication of their lack of faith in Saha’s credentials as a batsman when the off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was pushed ahead in the batting order, above Saha. With clouds of doubts lingering on, this had to be the day when he would have to win over the captain, the team and the country.

He scored his first run after facing five balls. His second run came 28 balls later. As Jason Holder continued bowling outside off-stump, Saha impressed with his late cuts and his ability to adjust when the odd ball bounced up at him. 12 runs in 71 balls. 46 off 122.

With Ashwin too deciding to drop gears scoring just four boundaries in 227 balls, the duo had ensured that the rickety start had been effectively dealt with. It was now time to accelerate; to mark a stark shift in the way India approached the first innings.

Whipping balls towards the leg-side and square leg. Pulls and cover drives on the off-side. Shots straight down the ground and cuts that pierced Kraigg Brathwaite’s off-spin. Saha’s array of strokes, which were on display for the first time in six years, was indeed a beautiful sight to witness.

As he inched towards the elusive hundred, the knots in the stomach became more intense. As he unstrapped his helmet when he reached the three figures, a sense of relief had engulfed not only the player but also the teammates all around. As he walked back to the pavilion after 227 balls and 104 runs, a strange satisfaction was all that remained. Saha had arrived.

#2 The home ground and a Man of the Match award to show for it

Saha plays a shot at Eden Gardens

Driven by the yearning to establish himself on the biggest platform in cricket, each athlete and player spends hours and years honing and perfecting his skills in the place of his origin, with the firm belief that one day he would return to the very place and pay a tribute in his own way.

The place gives him his identity. It moulds his confidence and even though he may set afoot on many more hallowed turfs, the ground at which he has spent his childhood will forever remain special.

As Wriddhiman Saha stepped up to play the 17th match of his Test career, emotions ran forth with a sense of nostalgia enveloping him, as he walked out to bat for the very first time as an India player at Eden Gardens. Whilst many international players dream of playing a Test match at this highly historical ground, for Saha, the stakes were even higher. The lush grass had seen his struggle. It had also witnessed his dejection and agony at being ignored constantly, as MS Dhoni ruled the roost.

The 2nd Test against New Zealand in Kolkata gave Saha the ideal opportunity to thank the city, the fans and the stadium itself.

Walking in with India at 200/5, the Indian team was in dire need of a batsman who would stay on till the end, and establish a score that would prove enough for their bowlers. Cheered on by a boisterous crowd, Saha took up the initiative to guide India through.

Even though he patiently knocked and defended the seaming deliveries of Trent Boult and Matt Henry, the batsmen around him seemed to have no answer, falling like nine pins to their threatening pace on a wicket that was aiding the fast bowlers. At 281/9, Saha came together with Mohammad Shami to put on a crucial 35-run partnership in just 31 balls before the latter fell to Boult.

Saha’s unbeaten 54 was the primary reason why India could even cross the 300-run mark which was enough to put psychological pressure on the Kiwis.

He was, however, not done just yet. After the bowlers shot out the New Zealanders for 204, it was imperative that India extend their 112-run lead to an unattainable one. Once again, the Indians had a rocky start and were down the barrel with 91/5 on the board.

Saha's 103-run seventh partnership with Rohit Sharma steadied the fluttering hearts in the dressing room. As Saha notched up yet another unbeaten half century that would later win him the Man of the Match award, the 32-year old had emphatically stamped himself as a reliable number seven batter, making the locals gush from ear to ear.

#1 An injury trail; stiff competition and a comeback to remember

Saha had to prove himself to make a comeback

It was Wriddhiman Saha’s first major test. A moment that could make or break his Test career; one that would not only test his mental stamina but also his own talent and skills to perform under pressure. Perform or perish.

With the Bengali ruled out of the exciting series against England after sustaining an injury in just the 2nd Test match, Indian discard Parthiv Patel was drafted into the team after a gap of eight years. With three Tests in front of him, the opportunity was ripe for Parthiv to grab his chances and stage a permanent spot in the playing eleven. And he did just that.

In his very first innings, the 32-year old scored 42, following it up with an unbeaten 67 in the second innings in Mohali. In the fifth match of the series, in Chennai, he played 180 balls for his 71 as talks of Patel’s consistency started overshadowing Saha’s. His spot was on the line. Saha had waited years to finally find a place in the Indian team and Patel had done enough in the three Test matches to threaten and grab his place.

20th January 2017- As Gujarat, the Ranji Trophy winners, and Rest of India locked horns for the Irani Cup, all eyes were firmly fixed on the min-battle that would ensue. As the Parthiv Patel-led Gujarat side took on the ROI team that comprised Saha, a battle between two keepers ensued. Who would emerge triumphant and bag the coveted Test spot, edging out the other? Two players. One spot. The competition was well and truly on, the pressure being more on Saha.

In the first innings, Patel scored 11. Saha a fine duck. In the second, the former managed 32 and it was solely upon Saha to grab this fine opportunity and make it a moment to remember.

272 balls and 203 runs later, he had emphatically shut out all doubts and criticism. Having edged past the Gujarati, Saha was once again in the Indian Cricket Test team and upon his comeback, he smashed an unbeaten 106 against Bangladesh.

A 117-run innings against Australia in Ranchi further quelled all arguments and ever since he has earned the praise of his skipper and earned the respect of his fans, who know that replacing a player of MS Dhoni’s stature is not easy but Saha has keenly pledged to establish himself , which he continues to do with aplomb.