Wriddhiman Saha is here to stay

Though he was clutching on to his first man of the match award in Tests for two fifties in the second Test at his home ground, Eden Gardens, on Monday, wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha had a sorry-looking face.

He was sorry for not scoring a single run in the previous Test, India's 500th, in Kanpur the previous week. He was determined to make up for that failure with the bat, scoring not one but two undefeated half-centuries – 54* and 58* – in India's 250th home Test that steadied a rocking ship after the top-order collapse.

The confidence he has in his batting has been boosted by his only Test hundred (104) in St Lucia two months ago, sharing 213 for the sixth wicket in a match-winning partnership with R Ashwin.

Saha may come across as reserved but he is said to be one of the most-loved characters in the dressing room, besides being chirpy behind the wicket, egging his bowlers on.

Having waited in the wings of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the 31-year-old has made the Test wicket-keeping spot his own with his deft glove work. He may not be as attractive as a Syed Kirmani or flashy as Rodney Marsh or flamboyant as Alan Knott, but is as effective as the three wicket-keeping greats of yesteryear.

The sight of Saha flicking the ball high in the air to his slip cordon soon after collecting is something that he is making his own. Just like how he is making it a habit of taking the tailenders along and posting useful scores.

His captain Virat Kohli is mightily pleased with him and said the wicketkeeper is India's best at the moment. "Saha has been doing really well this year, I wish him well to keep going. Obviously a 'keeper coming good for you is an added bonus," said Kohli.

Legendary India wicketkeeper of the 1970s and 80s, Kirmani is impressed with Saha. "Saha, man of the match in India's 501st Test (Kolkata), is blossoming into a very useful player, as a batting all-rounder. He has shown a great amount of temperament from the wicketkeeper's angle," Kirmani told dna.

Kirmani was a handy batsman in his playing days and has scored two Test centuries and mostly batted between Nos. 7 and 9.

Kirmani said: "It is an added challenge for every wicketkeeper who comes in that No. 8 position. He can go in as a nightwatchman like I used to and hold fort at one end. Saha has learnt how to combat difficult situations, curbing the strokes that tantamounts to temperament. That is the way to go forward."

Asked if he found any area that Saha needed to work on, Kirmani said: "No cricketer is perfect. He has to keep learning. You commit a mistake, drop a catch or miss a stumping, these are part and parcel of this great game. It is how quickly one bounces back indicates the high quality of a player."

Kirmani had a word of caution for Saha — The wicketkeeper needs to be consistent, otherwise he would lose his spot in this cut-throat competition.

"I think one has to keep on looking at the consistency. With so much competition, if you miss out on one or two innings, the next one in form takes his place. One has to be consistent and Saha has shown all that is required to be consistent," the 66-year-old 1983 World Cup winner said.

Appearances can be deceptive, and it suits Saha perfectly. He may not appear to be a batsman who can pack a punch or score at a brisk rate. But when in mood, and according to the situation, he can send the bowlers run for cover. As he showed in the first innings here, he was unafraid to go over the top and unsettle the opposition. Even if it mean the pitch was assisting the bowlers.

After the first innings, Saha said, "The wicket was seaming a bit, so in those conditions if you don't play your shots and get boundaries, we might have reached only 260 at the maximum. So, our effort was to convert loose balls into boundaries, so that we can get 280-plus and that went well for us."

Saha's ability to bat with the tailenders has given his captain the assurance that even if the top-order failed, there was no need to panic.

Saha explained his philosophy about batting with the lower order."Regular batsmen will score runs anyway. If the lower order and tailenders also contribute, the 50-60 runs boost that we get at the end is very helpful for the team. We aim at stretching it as much as possible and take the team towards a better score."