Wriddhiman Saha is a better wicket-keeper than Parthiv Patel says MSK Prasad

What’s the story?

India’s chairman of selectors MSK Prasad has said Wriddhiman Saha is a better wicket-keeper than Parthiv Patel.

Recently there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the duo as to who will be drafted into the Test team after a string of impressive performances from both.

“There is just a minor difference between the two. When it comes to Test cricket, it is always the man who keeps better gets the nod,” Prasad was quoted by Sportstar.

"Parthiv's glovework has definitely improved. But Saha has got better hands and that's where he scores little more points than Parthiv. With today's batting (Irani Cup), Saha showed why he is the No. 1 keeper-batsman in the country.

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Saha had cemented his place in the Test side as India’s number 1, but he was sidelined in the middle of the Test series against England owing to a thigh injury. Now, Parthiv Patel was drafted into the squad and the Gujarat skipper grabbed the opportunity with both hands by playing a few stellar innings.

He then played another gem of a knock in the Ranji Trophy final to help his side to victory and therefore there were speculations that Parthiv would continue as the wicket-keeper for the series against Australia.

But in the Irani Cup final which ended yesterday Saha won the match for his side with a brilliant unbeaten 203* and with Prasad’s statement now it is more or less confirmed that the Bengal lad will be the first choice wicket-keeper against the Aussies.

The heart of the matter

India’s chief selector MSK Prasad has said Wriddhiman Saha is a slightly better keeper than Parthiv Patel and therefore that makes him an automatic choice for the Test team.

He said both men are in fine form with the bat, but it was Saha who had the edge because of his wicket-keeping skills.

Both cricketers were part of the Irani trophy clash between Gujarat and the Rest Of India. Parthiv was brilliant with his captaincy and contributed a little with the bat, but it was Saha who stole the limelight with the match-winning double hundred.

Now, walking into the Indian Test team should be quite easy for the 32-year-old.

What’s next?

With Prasad’s remarks, it is quite certain that Saha will be the first choice wicket-keeper for India going into the series against Australia. Parthiv will likely be in the squad as the reserve wicketkeeper after his recent performances with the bat.

Sportskeeda’s take

It is nice to see in this current Indian team there is such a tight fight for spots. This is certainly a good move from the selectors as they look to maintain continuity in the selection process.