Wridhiman Saha's father says there is still a long way to go for his son

Despite being Team India’s preferred wicket-keeper in Test cricket and donning the Indian whites since Dhoni’s retirement, Wriddhiman Saha’s house in Shaktigar, a small township in Siliguri still reflects the hardship which he had his family went through at a point in time.

Apart from a cupboard filled with trophies and a photograph of him celebrating in Galle stand out in the drawing room, his house hardly looks different to his neighbours. “This is just the beginning, he has many more hurdles to cross,” Prasanta Saha, Wriddhi’s father was quoted as saying by Times of India.

Saha’s maiden Test half-century against Sri Lanka wasn’t enough to save the Test match for India but the innings gave positive indications that the “little man’ was ready to fill in the big boots of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Prasanta was a former goalkeeper for local Baghajatin Club and a wicketkeeper for Agragami Club in the 1970’s.

When former legendary Indian footballer Sailen Manna took his Mohon Bagan Club for a tournament in Siliguri, he was so impressed with Prasanta’s performance that he offered him a trial at Mohon Bagan. “I could not go to Kolkata because of family reasons,” Prasanta sighed.

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Wriddhi used to accompany his father wherever he played be it football and cricket and within few days Prasanta realised that his son was the one who would go on to fulfil his unsuccessful dreams. “Initially he (Wriddhi) wanted to become a goalkeeper like me. But when a regional cricket coaching camp was held in Siliguri in the late 1990s, we got him admitted there. He was just 13 at that time and his love for cricket began in no time,” Prasanta remembered.

Wriddhi started off his career as a batsman and a fast bowler but when the wicket-keeper in coaching camp didn’t turn up one day, his father asked him to don the keeping pads and gloves. “He was initially hesitant about his new role, but I gave him some tips on how to deal with the job. The quality which stood out in him even in his younger days was his focus and determination whenever a new challenge came up. He took no time to learn the tricks and grew into the role of a wicketkeeper,” Prasanta recalled.

Saha broke into the Bengal team after Deep Dasgupta joined the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2008 and his debut century paved the way for his selection for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural IPL in 2008. He also received his maiden Test with a share of luck. On the morning of the Test, Rohit Sharma injured himself and VVS Laxman failed to recuperate which gave Wriddhi his Test debut as a specialist batsman.

His father revealed that Wriddhi is an avid Formula one lover and plays it on the Play Station. “He might have become a car-racing driver if he had not made it to the Indian cricket team,” his father said smiling. Saha’s elder brother is a music producer in Mumbai and Prasanta said that he was very happy with the achievement of both his sons. “I’m quite happy with what my two sons have achieved,” he said.

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Prasanta’s only unfulfilled wish is to see his son Wriddhiman play a Test match from the stands.   “I’m yet to watch Wriddhi play a Test match from the stands. Hopefully, it will happen soon,” he concluded