IND vs AFG: Wriddhiman Saha ruled out, BCCI names his replacement

The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially confirmed that Wridhhiman Saha has been ruled out of the historic Test match against Afghanistan. He suffered an injury to his right thumb while facing Shivam Mavi in the second qualifier against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens. However, the board has named the replacement for the wicketkeeper-batsman for the game which will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Saha has been injury prone of late as he didn’t play much in the latter stages of the IPL as well. Moreover, he had also returned from South Africa after playing only a solitary Test match. Parthiv Patel donned the gloves in the last couple of matches on the tour. The selectors will be surely thinking of naming a backup wicketkeeper for the upcoming series against England.

Who is the replacement?

The BCCI, in its press release, confirmed that Dinesh Karthik will replace Saha for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan. They also clarified that the Bengal wicketkeeper needs adequate rest before the all-important England series where India is scheduled to play five Test matches. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Mr Dinesh Karthik as the replacement for injured Saha. Saha’s recovery period is expected to be around five to six weeks,” the statement read.

Karthik last played a Test match for India way back in 2010 against Bangladesh in Chittagong and is in the middle of a purple patch of his career. He has already made a comeback in the limited overs formats of the game and will be itching to do well in this game. If he manages to impress the selectors with his skills as the wicketkeeper and the batsman, Karthik will surely travel to England as the backup for Saha.

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