Wriddhiman Saha still under observation at the NCA; yet to gain full fitness

India’s regular wicket-keeper batsman in the longest format, Wriddhiman Saha, who suffered a major hamstring tendon injury after which he was forced to come back right away to India, in the midst of the important South African tour. After appearing in the first Test match of the three-match series, Saha had to pull out of the next two games because of the injury. India lost that series 2-1 and then subsequently won the ODI series 5-1 convincingly, but the wicket-keeper has not yet gained complete fitness to his injury and is currently under proper supervision at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik had flown to South Africa as a replacement for Saha but did not feature in any of the Test matches. Parthiv Patel, who earlier travelled with the full squad, played as a specialist keeper batsman in the two Test matches. In the first Test match against the host Proteas team, Saha had a great time with the gloves as he became the first Indian keeper to claim 10 dismissals in a Test match.

Injuries are just part of the game

In a recent conversation with Sportstar, Saha shared some details regarding his current injury and also gave an update on the recovery period. Even though leaving the series midway, he still feels that the team competed very well during the Test series in the African nation. He considered the South African tour a major and a crucial one for the whole Indian team.

“Injuries are a part of the game and you can’t do much about it. I felt bad that I had to be back but the team did well. We had chances in every Test match; yes, we could manage only one win but that’s fine as the series was great,” said Saha.

Saha would next be playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League 2018 after the franchise bought him in the recent auction. The injury might not be a worrying factor for his franchise as he hopes to be fit before the start of the global tournament. He also stated that the medical team is currently reviewing the progress of his injury on a daily basis.

“My recovery is in the last leg and I will be fit in a few more days. I am currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and the medical team is assessing my progress on a daily basis. I can’t declare a time-frame like a week or 10 days. It depends on the physios and the several parameters of recovery. But the IPL is far away, I will be fit way before time,” he added.