Not hurt by Wriddhiman Saha's comments, he deserved honesty and clarity: Rahul Dravid

Several senior players have been dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. Among those is wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who made a sensational revelation after getting axed. The 37-year-old revealed that, after India’s 1-2 Test series defeat in South Africa last month, head coach Rahul Dravid suggested him to consider international retirement, as he is not a part of the national team’s future plans.

Reacting to Saha’s statement, Dravid said ‘he’s not hurt at all’ and still has massive respect for the Bengal cricketer. Speaking of the motive behind his message, the former Indian captain said Saha ‘deserved’ clarity and he provided him the same. Meanwhile, Dravid’s reaction came on Sunday (February 20), following India’s 3-0 triumph in the T20I series against West Indies.

I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman Saha: Rahul Dravid

“Thanks for congratulating us on winning the T20I series. (laughs),” was Dravid’s initial reaction to the question in the press conference. “No, I’m actually not hurt at all. I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman Saha and his achievements, contributions to Indian cricket. My conversation with him came from that place. He deserved honesty and clarity,” he added.

“I didn’t want him to hear about it, you know, from the media. These are conversations I constantly have with players. I’m not hurt about it at all because I don’t expect players to always like the messages or agree with everything I have to say about them,” said Dravid further.

The 49-year-old further said that he and team skipper Rohit Sharma believe in open communication about selections, irrespective of the outcome. “Sometimes you have difficult conversations with players. But that doesn’t mean you brush it under the carpet and don’t have the conversations, right? I truly believe in having those conversations before every XI is picked,” asserted the head coach.

“Even now, either me or Rohit will speak to those not playing. And we are open to answer questions to why they are not playing and what are the reasons for a particular XI that we might play. It’s natural for players at times to get upset and feel hurt,” he added.

Notably, uncapped KS Bharat has been picked as the back-up wicketkeeper in the squad. Explaining his selection and Saha’s axing, Dravid said: “We have only three Tests [five] this year and with Rishabh Pant having established himself as our No. 1-choice wicketkeeper, we were looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper. That was it. This doesn’t change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi or his contribution.”