Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha (born 24 October 1984) is an Indian cricketer who plays Test matches for India and first class matches domestically for Bengal. He is also the first cricketer to score a century in an Indian Premier League final. He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

Wriddhiman Saha
Personal information
Full nameWriddhiman Prasanta Saha
Born (1984-10-24) 24 October 1984
Siliguri, West Bengal, India
NicknameFlying Saha
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 263)9 February 2010 v South Africa
Last Test22 November 2019 v Bangladesh
ODI debut (cap 190)28 November 2010 v New Zealand
Last ODI2 November 2014 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.24
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2007–presentBengal
2008–2010Kolkata Knight Riders
2011–2013Chennai Super Kings (squad no. 6)
2014–2017Kings XI Punjab (squad no. 6)
2018–presentSunrisers Hyderabad
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 37 9 111 100
Runs scored 1,238 41 6,116 2,693
Batting average 30.19 13.66 43.07 42.74
100s/50s 3/5 0/0 13/35 2/19
Top score 117 16 203* 116
Catches/stumpings 92/11 17/1 299/35 123/15
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 December 2019

In 2017, Saha became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score centuries in home as well as outside Asia.[1]

Saha made his Test debut in February 2010, as a specialist batsman. When he got a permanent place in the Indian Test XI as a wicket-keeper, there were arguments about his place in the backdrop of him replacing the long-serving MS Dhoni, who had scored nearly 5000 runs in Test cricket at an average nearly 40.

Saha scored his maiden Test century at St. Lucia on the tour of the Caribbean; on that occasion, India, having been put in to bat, were at 126/5. Saha combined with Ashwin, had a long partnership. India went on to win the Test He has since added two more centuries and his batting average has more than doubled. Saha's second hundred came when India was against Bangladesh

Saha has played 23 Tests as India's designated wicket-keeper, and his numbers on the batting front compare favourably to some of India's previous wicket-keepers. In terms of runs, only Farokh Engineer (who also opened the innings), MS Dhoni and Nayan Mongia had scored more.

Domestic career

Saha played for the Under-19s and the Under-22s team before being promoted to first-class cricket. Saha made his one-day debut in the Ranji Trophy competition of 2006/07, against Assam. He scored a duck in his debut innings in the following match. As he was nearing the end of his brief run in the Ranji Trophy, he played three one-day games for the East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy.

Saha made his first-class debut in the 2007–08 Ranji Trophy, against Hyderabad he scored 111 not out. Saha also made the East Zone team in the Duleep Trophy in the 2007–08 season.

Saha's century for Bengal on his Ranji debut landed him a contract with IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.

Saha was named in the India A squad which played three limited overs match against the Israel Invitational XI, players made the side on the basis of his performances in the Indian Premier League. India A won the series 3–0, Saha scored an unbeaten 85 in the third match in which India chased 235. Saha also has a record of making fastest century in domestic cricket. He scored 102 runs of just 20 balls at an strike rate of 510 with 4 fours and 14 sixes in 2018.

International career

Test career

On 28 January 2010, Saha was included in the Indian Test squad as a reserve wicket-keeper in place of Dinesh Karthik for the upcoming home Test match series against South Africa.

As Saha was a reserve gloveman, he was not expected to play, but V. V. S. Laxman failed to recover from injury and Rohit Sharma, the only reserve specialist batsman in the squad, injured himself playing football in the warm-up on the first morning. As another batsman could not be flown in on time, Saha was given his Test debut against South Africa.

He scored a duck in the first innings, but he scored 36 in the second innings. In both innings, fast bowler Dale Steyn took his wicket. India lost the Test and Saha was dropped from the squad for the second Test which India subsequently won to level the two-match series.

Saha played in the fourth match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in January 2012 in place of MS Dhoni, who was banned for slow over rate, where he made 35 runs in the first which helped Virat Kohli get his maiden Test Century.

He also toured South Africa in December 2013, New Zealand in February 2014 and England in July 2014 as part of the test squad but did not get a game.

On 9 December 2014, he was selected to play his first test match since January 2012 against Australia at the same ground where he played his last match because MS Dhoni was out with a thumb injury. He made 25 runs in the first inning and 13 runs in the second inning.[2] He also played in the fourth match of the series and made 35 runs.

In 2016, he was selected for India's tour of West Indies as a wicket-keeper following Dhoni's retirement from test cricket.[3] In the first test against West Indies, Saha became the third wicket-keeper in Indian cricket history to feature in six dismissals in a test innings.[4]

On 19 March 2017, Saha scored a century at JSCA International Stadium against Australia making 117 off 233 balls which include 8 fours and 1 six.  India were 328/6. Still, 123 behind Australia's first innings total of 451 when he came to bat and added 199 for the seventh wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara.[5]

On 8 January 2018, against South Africa Saha became the first wicket-keeper for India to take ten catches in a single Test.[6] In November 2019, in the second Test against Bangladesh, Saha became the fifth wicket-keeper for India to affect 100 dismissals in Test cricket.[7]

ODI career

After he scored 115 runs in the 2014 IPL final he was called to tour Bangladesh as part of the 15 man Squad to 3 ODIs against Bangladesh Cricket Team.

Indian Premier League

2011 Season

Saha played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three sessions on IPL but in 2011 he was picked by Chennai Super Kings as a reserve wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni. He also represented the Chennai Super Kings in 2012 and 2013

2014 Season

In 2014 IPL Auction Saha was purchased by Kings XI Punjab as a specialist wicketkeeper. In the tournament Saha not only took some good catches but also contributed with the bat. He made 362 runs at an average of 32.90 and a strike rate of 145.38.

In the IPL Final against Kolkata Knight Riders Saha became the first player to score a hundred in an IPL final when he made an unbeaten 115 runs from 55 balls, including 10 fours and 8 sixes.[8]

2019 season

In December 2018, he was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League.[9][10]

References
  1. "Statsguru". espncricinfo. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  2. "India vs Australia – 1st Test Match, Adelaide". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. "India Test Squad". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  4. "#WIvIND: Wriddhiman Saha creates a record which even eluded MS Dhoni and other Indian wicket-keepers | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". 24 July 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  5. "Saha shuts up doubters with gritty century – Bangalore Mirror -". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  6. "Wriddhiman Saha breaks MS Dhoni's record of most dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test". Times of India. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. "Pink Ball Test: Wriddhiman Saha joins elite list of Indian wicket-keepers with a century of dismissals". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  8. "Kolkata knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab – Final". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  9. "IPL 2019 auction: The list of sold and unsold players". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  10. "IPL 2019 Auction: Who got whom". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 December 2018.


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