India's other keeper stumped again

He is the only batsman to hit a century in the India Premier League final. He is arguably the best wicketkeeper in India. He is useful as both a top and middle-order batsman in any format. Still, if he were to walk on a street, not many would recognise Wriddhiman Saha.

Just like in his personal life where he has chosen to remain aloof, Saha has been a silent contributor on the cricket field throughout his career. He has earned an India cap in ODIs and Tests, a format that matters the most to him. Still, Saha had never really got his due. That did not change on Tuesday.

While the more flamboyant players like Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey will be basking in the glory of having been selected for India, Saha had to settle for a spot in the Board President's squad. He will also take the field in Rohtak for East Zone, against West Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final that will kick-start the upcoming domestic season.

One would assume that after once again being ignored by the national selectors, Saha would be heartbroken. But those who know him well have no doubt about Saha being his usual calm and composed self when he takes the field in the domestic season-opener.

"That's just the way he is. He just loves the game so much and enjoys whatever game he gets to play," Deep Dasgupta, the former India wicketkeeper who was the Bengal captain when Saha was first drafted into Bengal's Ranji Trophy squad, said. "It may sound a cliché, but when it comes to Wriddhi, he has really overcome all the talks surrounding selection and all. He is just happy to be playing cricket, wherever he plays."

Despite his talent, Saha has had to live under the shadows of MS Dhoni. As a result, instead of being a regular in the national team, Saha has spent most of the last five years as the reserve keeper for India's overseas Test tours.

"I strictly believe that wicketkeepers are born, they can't be made. Wriddhiman belongs to that category," Former Bengal captain Gopal Bose said. "I think Wriddhiman is born in a wrong era. He is a better wicketkeeper in the country than anyone else. Still, he has had to remain as an understudy to Dhoni."

While others feel for him, Saha himself never appears to be frustrated. Frustration, in fact, has not been a part of his struggle since his early days. After spending his childhood in Siliguri, a tourist town in North Bengal that has produced more table tennis players than cricketers, Saha shifted to Kolkata early in his teens. He used to share a tiny room in Sealdah, a bustling, congested district in central Kolkata along with fellow aspiring cricketers such as Ashok Dinda.

Such was Saha's wicketkeeping skills, that it did not take him long to be selected in Bengal's Under-16 team. But his gutsy character came to the fore even before he played his first match.

"On the first day of our preparatory camp, he went and stood up to the wickets off a pacer. We did try to restrain him from standing up but he was confident and a ball flew off an edge and struck on his face. He had to be taken to hospital and missed a few days of training," recalls Raju Mukherjee, the former Bengal captain who was then the Under-16 team's coach.

"What convinced us about his gutsy character was the day he came back to the camp, he put on his wicktkeeping gears and went up and stood again close to the stumps. That was courageous for a teenager and convinced us he would be in for a long haul."

Since then, Saha has come a long way. The tiny room in Sealdah has been replaced with a house on the outskirts of Kolkata. His parents have shifted from Siliguri, and most of his time is spent with them and his daughter. Still, Saha has remained the same "down to earth boy who has no airs about him", according to Bose. "That's the best quality of him. He has managed to not only remain extremely quiet and focused but, has also kept his feet on the ground," Mukherjee adds.

Saha's down-to-earth personality was perhaps best highlighted when it took a lot of convincing from his close friends to replace his car, a model that's popular among Indian middle-class, with a swankier vehicle. The only thing that goes against Saha's personality is his passion for Formula 1. He is often referred to as the "encyclopedia on F1" in his social circle.

Saha turns 30 next week, but Dasgupta believes age won't be a barrier for the player to excel at the highest level for a long time. "He is extremely fit, so whenever Dhoni decides to give up, Wriddhi should be the first contender for the keeper's slot."

With Dhoni being the nucleus of India's team, wicketkeeper-batsmen like Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel have got opportunities as specialist batsmen, especially in limited overs. Even though Saha made his Test debut as a specialist batsman after Rohit Sharma suffered a freak injury, he has not been considered in the shorter formats.

And with the World Cup less than three months away, Saha will have to, once again, give his best to impress selectors and book a spot in the team as a reserve wicketkeeper-batsman. To make that happen, Mukherjee, who has taken over as the Bengal chief selector, had discussed the possibility of Saha opening the innings in the zonal one-dayers next month.

"He [Saha] was extremely welcoming to the idea," Mukherjee said. "He may not appear to be a pretty batsman, but he is an extremely effective batsman, as was witnessed during the IPL, especially in the final. Let's hope he can make the most of his opportunity."