Wriddhiman Saha reveals how he focussed on his game when MS Dhoni was playing in Tests

Being a wicketkeeper is a thankless job, especially in Tests. MS Dhoni handled the responsibility behind the stumps extremely well along with the captaincy and finally decided to hang his boots from the format in December 2014. Until he was in the team, there was no place for any other wicketkeeper and this is where Wriddhiman Saha didn’t give up and concentrated on his own performances to stay in contention for the national team.

Dhoni was part of India’s Test team for 90 matches and seldom missed any game due to an injury. His presence meant that there was literally not a shoe-in for the other wicketkeepers in the country which is extremely tough to handle as a professional. But that wasn’t an issue for Saha as he didn’t compare with others and kept on focussing on his basics, however, boring it may feel.

“Who doesn’t want to play for India? When Dhoni was playing for India and we were playing domestic cricket, we focused on our performances, as boring as it may sound. It was never like, ‘Okay, Dinesh Karthik has hit a ton today, I have to match up as well, or for Parthiv.’ All of us try equally, we try and be the best we can be for our state sides or IPL teams or clubs, that would catch the attention,” Saha said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

It is key not to lose your head

Wriddhiman Saha is currently recuperating from his shoulder injury and it will four more months for him to take the field again. This is a similar period for him when he used to wait for an opportunity to play in the national team. Though Saha is not worried much and believes in focussing on what he can do.

“It is important in such situations, especially when you have someone as successful and immovable as Dhoni at the top. It is key to not lose your head when selected or get demoralised when dropped. I don’t keep an eye on others’ scores. Of course, there are people who will remind you of these scores, but it depends how you filter it,” India’s number 1 wicketkeeper in Tests added.

[interaction id=”5b90ea30d6d3b03522e74d5a”]

Keep following CricTracker for more news and updates.