#NewsBytesExclusive: Wriddhiman Saha on Test selection, World Cup and more
Veteran wicket-keeper batsman NewsBytesapp.com/news/sports/wriddhiman-saha'>Wriddhiman Saha has battled past the injury cloud that hampered his career in 2018. He lost his place to youngster Rishabh Pant in the Test side after being out due to injury. And now, the Bengal cricketer is looking forward to take one thing at a time. NewsBytes caught up with Saha, who spoke about a host of things.
Saha's injury forced him to miss the action in 2018
Saha had complained to the BCCI regarding a hamstring injury in January 2018. Further, he was also suffering from right shoulder pain, as MRI scans revealed a labral tear. He underwent a rehabilitation process at the NCA and then featured in IPL 2018. Saha injured his shoulder once again, besides fracturing his thumb. The shoulder injury worsened, for which he had to undergo surgery.
Saha on what went through his mind during lay-off
When quipped about what went through his mind during the long injury lay-off, Saha stated he tried to focus on the positives. He added, "When one gets injured and spends his time outside for long, it is natural to get demoralized. I focused on the rehab and my training at the NCA. The physios helped me out and the aim was to recover fully."
I wanted to take one game at a time: Saha
Saha made a return to cricket earlier in 2019. He stated that he had a simple thought process and didn't want to put pressure on him in order to achieve more. "I didn't have any specific target on the amount of runs or matches. I wanted to take one game at a time and produce my best in every match," said Saha.
A look at how Saha fared since his return
Saha's return saw him appear for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He ended up getting 306 runs in 11 T20 matches and was the third highest run-scorer for his team. The 34-year-old smashed one century and two fifties. Post that, he made a few appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2019. He ended up scoring 86 runs from five outings.
Saha selected in India A squad to face WI A
Saha has been selected in the India A squad that will face West Indies A in three four-day games in July. The Indian team will be touring West Indies for a two-match Test series post the World Cup. When asked about whether he is looking forward to being selected in the Test team, Saha said he is only thinking about India A.
Confidence will play a key factor: Saha on upcoming tour
"At the moment, I just want to focus more on India A and the conditions during the tour. Confidence will play a key factor and the idea is to take one match at a time. If I perform well, then that will help me massively."
World Cup 2019: Saha backs India's bowling unit to deliver
The ICC World Cup 2019 is underway and India open their campaign today against South Africa. Saha feels India have a strong side this term. "India have a solid bowling unit in particular. Every team will make a comeback, given the round-robin format and the flat pitches. I want to keep the bowling ahead of batting and so far things look good for India."
India are the favorites to win the World Cup: Saha
The conditions in England will assist batsmen at large, but bowlers can also expect to extract some movement. Saha feels conditions in ODIs are way different from that in Test cricket. He backed India to win the World Cup. "I feel India are the favorites. With Virat Kohli there, India will be expected to score 300-plus, which will be a regular phenomenon in England."
