Wriddhiman Saha set to retire: Decoding his stats and records
Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, after the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. The 40-year-old cricketer, who was one of the best wicket-keepers and played some crucial knocks for India, took to social media to share the news. He thanked everyone for a "cherished journey in cricket" and promised to make his last season with Bengal memorable. Here we decode his stats and records.
Saha's career and achievements in Test cricket
Saha had an illustrious Test career, having played 40 matches and scoring 1,353 runs at 29.41, including three centuries (50s: 6). He inflicted 92 catches and 12 stumpings. He became India's first-choice wicket-keeper after MS Dhoni's Test retirement in 2015. Saha is third behind Dhoni and Rishabh Pant for the most centuries hit by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests. His last international appearance was against New Zealand in 2021.
Saha's IPL journey
Saha won't play next year's Indian Premier League as he wasn't retained by Gujarat Titans and hasn't registered for the mega auction. Saha has been a mainstay in the IPL since its inception in 2008, having played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and most recently, Gujarat Titans.
Do you know?
Saha was the first player to score a century in an IPL final. In 2014, Saha played a knock of 115 for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) against Kolkata Knight Riders, but his side lost the game. Meanwhile, Shane Watson is the only other player on this list as he smoked a match-winning hundred for Chennai Super Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018.
Only player with this IPL feat
As per ESPNcricinfo, Saha smashed 54 off 39 balls for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 IPL final. At 38 years and 217 days, he became the oldest batter to score a half-century in the IPL final. The veteran is the only player to record 50+ scores for two teams in IPL finals.
One of the three keepers with this record
Saha is among the three keepers to inflict over 100 dismissals in IPL. While he recorded 113 dismissals in the cash-rich league, only Dinesh Karthik (174) and Dhoni (190) are ahead of him. Meanwhile, Saha's tally includes 87 catches and 26 stumpings.
Here are his IPL and T20 stats
Saha is among the few players to have played in every IPL season, from 2008 to 2024. He played 170 games in his celebrated IPL career and slammed 2,934 runs at an average of 24.25. He also owns a strike rate of 127.57 along with 13 fifties and a solitary hundred. Overall, he scored 4,655 runs from 255 T20 matches at 24.24. He smoked two tons and 24 fifties (142 catches, 39 stumpings).
Over 7,000 runs in First-Class cricket
Saha has had a stellar First-class career, having featured in 138 matches. He has racked up 7,013 runs at an average of 41.74. The tally includes 14 centuries and 43 half-centuries (336 catches, 38 stumpings). Meanwhile, the 40-year-old finishes his List A career with 3,072 from 116 games at a decent average of 40.42. He smoked three tons and 20 fifties (138 catches, 18 stumpings). He also played nine ODIs for India, managing 41 runs at 13.66.
