'I did not say anything' - Wriddhiman Saha opens up on dressing room disclosures around Ranji Trophy

Indian wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha is likely to be snubbed for the home Test series against Sri Lanka including the experienced hands of Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma. Although the squad hasnt been announced yet, there are high possibilities for the veterans to be dropped as a measure to look into the youngsters for the longer formats. Rahane and Pujara will be playing the upcoming Ranji Trophy season 2021-22 for their states while Saha has opted out of it.

The news of Saha not looking to play the Ranji season had been around for a while before he had admitted publicly and there were doubts over the leakage of news. The 37-year-old is not the first choice wicketkeeper for India anymore with Pant doing really well in the last two years and there have been talks over KS Bharat being groomed as the backup option for Pant. With that happening, the future looks uncertain for Saha and it remains to be seen if he does find a place in the squad against Sri Lanka.

As long as I am in the team, I cannot tell anything: Wriddhiman Saha

“I went to the Cricket Association of Bengal and told the president that I would not play Ranji Trophy this season. Whatever happened after that was not in my control and I did not tell anything as I am still a part of the Indian cricket team and as per protocols, I cannot speak about anything that happens in the dressing room or any conversation that is spoken personally within the team. As long as I am in the team, I cannot tell anything. I did not say anything. Someone else must have told and hence the news,” said Saha as quoted by TimesNow.com.

Saha admitted that he informed the Bengal Cricket Association directly that he would not be participating in the Ranji season this year and noted that he does not know how the information had been leaked after that. He added that the dressing room conversations are very confidential and noted that he hasn’t said anything about not participating in Ranji Trophy to anyone.

Saha was recently picked up for INR 1.9 Crores by the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022 mega auction and his experience could be handy to the side in the top order.