Rahul Dravid 'not hurt' by Saha's comments
Head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday cleared the air on veteran wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha's explosive interview where he claimed that the former Indian skipper had asked him to consider retirement. Saha also said he was told that going forward, the national selectors will not consider him for selection. Saha made the comments after getting axed from India's squad for the Sri Lanka Tests.
Why does this story matter?
The Indian cricket team has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent months. Saha's move to leak a private conversation with his coach has now stirred yet another controversy. Earlier, Virat Kohli was embroiled in a controversy with the BCCI as the two tried to take the moral high ground after the former was sacked as India's captain.
What did Dravid say?
"I'm not hurt at all," Dravid said when asked about his discussion with Saha. "I have a deep respect for Saha and his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket. My conversation with him came from that place, from my respect for him. He deserved honesty and clarity. I didn't want him to hear about it from the media," he added.
Dravid on communication with players
Dravid said that he and Rohit Sharma want to regularly communicate with players regarding their role in the team among other things. "Before every playing XI is picked, either I or Rohit will speak to the guys not playing and are open to answer questions on why they are not playing and what are the reasons a particular XI might play," he said.
What did Saha say?
"Rahul said, 'I don't know how to tell you this, but for a while, selectors and the team management are thinking of trying a new keeper,'" Saha had told Sportstar. "I asked him whether it is because of my age or fitness, but he told me that it is not just because of age or performance. They were looking at younger talents," he added.
When did Saha last play for India?
Saha played his last Test series for India last December against New Zealand. He was included in playing XI as specialist wicket-keeper batter after Rishabh Pant had been rested by the team. Saha had scored 1 and 61* runs in the first Test in the first and second innings in Kanpur, respectively. He had accumulated 40 runs across two innings in the Mumbai Test.
A look at Saha's career
Saha had donned the whites for India on 40 occasions and accumulated 1,353 runs. He averages 29.41 in Test and has struck three hundreds and six fifties. Saha's highest score in the red-ball format is 117. He has also effected 12 stumpings and picked 92 catches. Further, he has played 9 ODIs for India and scored 41 runs at 13.66.
