'No one has the right to tell a player that he should retire' - Rajkumar Sharma throws his weight behind Wriddhiman Saha

Chipping in with his opinion on the recent debate surrounding Wriddhiman Saha’s exclusion from India’s Test side, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has stated that the way the BCCI has carried out his ouster from the team is disappointing.

The famed coach’s statement comes on the back of a big controversy that was triggered when Saha revealed he was suggested of retiring from cricket by head coach Rahul Dravid. The 37-year-old also claimed that both Dravid and the chief selector Chetan Sharma had conveyed to Saha that his future with the Indian Test team is not bright as he is no longer a part of their plans going ahead.

Speaking on the same, the Delhi based coach criticised Dravid as he feels no one has the right to tell a player when to retire. He also feels it is the personal call of an individual and though Dravid might have had spoken with good intentions, it has caused a big controversy.

“There have been too many controversies over the last 3-4 months, which is not good for Indian cricket. Regarding Saha, there are conflicting statements coming out from different officials. No one has the right to tell a player that he should retire. It is his individual decision. Selecting or not selecting a player is a different issue. Dravid may have spoken to Saha in good faith, but the controversy has become too big now. BCCI needs to stay away from such controversies,” Sharma said while speaking on the Khelneeti podcast

Roles have been defined in BCCI, everyone should stick to theirs: Rajkumar Sharma

Notably, Saha had also recently revealed that the current BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly had reached out to him post his innings of 61 not out against New Zealand in Kanpur last year. He stated that Ganguly assured the 40 Test veteran his spot in the national side for at least the time he was “here”.
Sharma however felt that everyone should stick to their defined roles in the BCCI and the selection matters should be left to the selectors alone.

“The job of the selectors should be done by the selectors only. Roles have been defined in the BCCI and everyone should stick to theirs. It’s sad to see the Saha controversy. He has been the world’s No.1 wicketkeeper and a silent contributor. He deserved better treatment that this,” Sharma added.