It meant that Sharma, who was called in as a cover for VVS Laxman, would have to watch from the sidelines as Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha earned an unexpected Test cap.
India went into the first Test of the series with a specialist batsman short when Rohit Sharma hurt his ankle in a warm-up routine that involved an improvised form of touch rugby and a rocketball. Sharma limped off the ground before the toss even as his teammates continued with their warm-up session.
It meant that Sharma, who was called in as a cover for VVS Laxman, would have to watch from the sidelines as Bengal wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha earned an unexpected Test cap.
The team play the first Test without Rahul Dravid (jaw bone surgery), Yuvraj Singh (ligament tear on the wrist) and Laxman (stitches on left hand). The selectors’ decision to pick six specialist batsmen for the home series, which included S Badrinath, was bound to restrict batting options in the middle-order.
Laxman was only 50 per cent fit and when Sharma limped off it meant India would have to turn to Saha whose keeping skills is valued more than his batting prowess.
Asked if he would have liked to see another specialist batsman in the squad, skipper MS Dhoni said: “It is a question that should have been asked when the squad was picked.” Saha has made 327 runs in seven first class games at an average of 32.70 this season.
The selectors justified his selection ahead of the more prolific run-scorer Parthiv Patel by saying that the Bengal wicketkeeper’s glovework was superior.
However, Dhoni didn’t show enough faith in Saha and donned the wicketkeeping gloves. Dhoni, in addition to wicketkeeping and captaincy duties, will have added pressure as a specialist batsman in the absence of Dravid and Laxman, but he made it clear that he never considered letting Saha keep wickets.
Saha was picked in the initial 15-man squad as a back-up for Dhoni. The Indian skipper has been troubled by back spasms, most recently during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.
Sharma’s predicament reminded one of Yuvraj Singh hurting his left knee during a game of kho-kho ahead of the Champions Trophy match in 2006.
However, Dhoni defended the warm-up routines and said: “Tomorrow you will see us play similar games. Cricket can be a bit monotonous at times… different warm-up routines help.”
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