'Disappointing to see your integrity getting questioned, need to move on' - Wriddhiman Saha on Bengal future

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha announced that he will not play for his domestic team Bengal for the current season. The announcement came following his selection for the knock-out phase of the Ranji Trophy 2021-22. After almost 15 years since his debut for Bengal, Saha took this decision with a heavy heart and also spoke about his future in the domestic circuit for the coming seasons.

Bengal, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, will face Saurabh Tiwary’s Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals. It is set to begin on June 6 in Bengaluru. Since his debut against Assam in 2007, Saha has played 122 first-class matches and 102 List-A matches for Bengal. He also scored an unbeaten 111 on his Ranji Trophy debut, against Hyderabad. Following that, he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008 in the inaugural Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, despite the efforts of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya and coach Arun Lal to keep the veteran keeper-batter in the team, he made his intentions clear to stay out. Saha shared that he was unimpressed when CAB questioned his integrity and commitment to the team last year.

“For me, too, it is a very sad feeling that I have to go through something like this after playing for Bengal for so long. It is disappointing that people make such comments and question your integrity. As a player, I had never faced such a thing in the past, but now that it has happened, even I need to (move on),” said Saha as quoted by Sportstar.

“Since I had made up my mind that I won’t play for Bengal, I had informed (the Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya) over phone. But I will meet him in person and finalise the formalities. “I have spoken to a lot of people, but no decision has been taken yet. There is still time left for next season…” added Saha.