Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha is all set to retire from all forms of the game soon after he failed to leave a mark for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the recently concluded IPL 2024.
The 39-year-old Saha, who moved to Tripura following a conflict with officials from the Cricket Association of Bengal in 2022, recently met with Ganguly in Kolkata on May 28.
The recent meeting between Saha and Ganguly comes two years after his public criticism of the BCCI when the former Indian captain was the president of the apex body, following his exclusion from the India squad for the home Test series against Sri Lanka.
Wriddhiman Saha’s retirement is on the cards
Saha had revealed private discussions with then BCCI president Ganguly and head coach Rahul Dravid, claiming they suggested he retire as they wanted to groom the young wicketkeeper for the future. He also claimed that Ganguly had assured him a spot in the Indian cricket team.
After the BCCI, the senior gloveman had a fallout with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) following the senior official Debabrata Das questioned his commitment to his domestic team. This led Saha to leave the Bengal team and even he left the team’s WhatsApp group and joined Tripura as a player-cum-mentor.
Despite efforts by then CAB president Avishek Dalmiya to bring him back, Saha remained firm in his decision and continued to play for Tripura. Meanwhile, Saha failed to make any impact with the bat in the IPL 2024, scoring only 136 runs in nine games for the Gujarat Titans, which side finished eighth with 12 points from 14 matches this season.
Sourav Ganguly wants Wriddhiman Saha to play Farewell Match for Bengal
Now, Wriddhiman Saha is all set to soon bid farewell to the game and Ganguly has urged the 39-year-old to play “one last match” for his home state before retiring, as he represented the team more than a decade in his career.
Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) joint secretary Jayanta Dey revealed that Ganguly met Saha in Kolkata and has asked him to play the farewell match for his home state.
Jayanta Dey was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India: “Ganguly wants Saha to retire for Bengal, playing at least one last match. Saha told me this. But he’s yet to ask for an NOC (no objection certificate) from Tripura. We have recently given NOC to Sudip Chatterjee who is set for a Bengal return, but Saha has not asked for the NOC as of now.”
Well, the decision regarding Saha’s potential farewell match may be made before the start of the upcoming Bengal Pro T20 League, beginning on June 11. While the players’ draft is already over, there remains uncertainty over Saha’s availability for the Siliguri Strikers team.
Notably, the Bengal-born Saha has played 40 Tests and nine One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India and scored 1353 and 41 runs, respectively. The 39-year-old last played for India against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in 2021. The veteran stumper has also featured in 136 first-class matches and scored 7013 runs with the help of 14 centuries and 43 half-centuries.
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