India wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Shaha believes that he is no longer the first choice as a wicket-keeper batsman for the national side and that young Rishabh Pant with his stellar performances in the recent past has now taken that place.
“Rishabh Pant played the last few matches of the World Test Championship and he has done well,” Saha was quoted as saying to Sportskeeda. “He should be the first choice keeper of the team going in England,” added the veteran.
Saha who remained the first choice keeper for India because of his stealthy footwork and seamless catching behind the wickets ever since MS Dhoni’s retirement in 2014, suddenly fell back due to a poor run of form with the bat outside India. Pant knocked on the doors and then got the door crashing with his match-winning knock at Gabba, following it with several exciting knocks against England at home.
Talking about his role in the team on England tour, recently recovered from Covid-19, Saha said that he would keep on working hard and wait for his opportunity. “I will just wait and if any opportunity arises, would like to give my best shot at it. And not to mention, but I will keep practising hard to get that one chance,” he said.
Having scored just a single fifty in his last 14 Test innings since 2017, Saha believes that it is not always possible to click and perform well, sometimes you get unlucky too. “We can only give our best sometimes it clicks, sometimes it doesn’t. I keep practising and I know there is a huge gulf between practice and real match situation. Ultimately it boils down to who delivers on the big stage and management takes a call based on that,” said the 36-year-old who has represented India in 38 Tests, hitting three centuries in his 11-year long career so far.
The Indian team would play the World test Championship against New Zealand from June 18 in Southampton. After that, it would have an ample amount of time to practice before the start of the five-match Test series against hosts England.