Bhubaneswar: Test wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha who has been out of the game for some time now will return to competitive cricket in the upcoming T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament beginning Thursday. The wicket-keeper batsman will bat at No.4 while turning out in Bengal colours. Saha had suffered a shoulder injury while turning out for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL game last season.
Even though Saha is ready to bat at any position for Bengal, coach Arun Lal wants to use him at No.4. “The two most experienced batsmen of our side are Manoj Tiwary and Saha. So they will have the responsibility of keeping the momentum going as well as holding the innings together. Hence Saha will bat at No.4 and Tiwary at No.5,” informed the Bengal coach.
Bengal are in Group D of the competition and will have to face top teams like Karnataka and Haryana. Also hosts Odisha are in the same group cannot be ruled out because of home advantage.
Lal is aware of this fact, but at the same time is confident that Bengal have the potential to do well. “Look in T20 it is hard to make any predictions. But I do believe that we have the potential to reach the knockouts,” Lal stated.
For Saha the tournament will be an acid test as many feel that he has already lost his place to Rishabh Pant. The Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman in a short Test career has already notched up two centuries. However, his keeping is still not in the same class as that of Saha’s.
The Bengal glovesman, however, is not thinking too much ahead. “I will just be concentrating on the present tournament. I am returning to competitive cricket after a long time and will try to do well,” he stated.
PNN
