India suffered a huge blow when star wicketkeeper KL Rahul sustained an injury in the ongoing 16th edition of the Indian Premier League. He was first ruled out of the IPL 2023, then out of the much-awaited final of the World Test Championship 2023.
India is all set to play the WTC final against Australia, which will kick off on June 7 (Wednesday) at the Kennington Oval, London. It will be the second straight WTC final appearance for the Men in Blue, after losing the last one to New Zealand in 2021.
However, India has suffered injuries to key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant. Rahul was the latest addition to that list. But on Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named Ishan Kishan as his replacement in the team.
But the addition of Ishan Kishan to the squad draws mixed reactions from some former cricketers and fans. Some of them also felt that veteran Wriddhiman Saha could have gotten a chance in the team after his impressive performance in the ongoing IPL season.
Furthermore, the comeback of former vice captain Ajinkya Rahane made some fans believe that Saha can also earn a comeback into the Indian Test side. But the Shiv Sundar Das-led selection committee showed faith in Ishan and picked him as a backup wicketkeeper.
Notably, he was also the backup wicketkeeper in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. According to a report in PTI, it has been learned that Saha was not even considered for the selection in the WTC final.
A source told PTI, “Kishan was the designated second keeper for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. There was no discussion on Wriddhiman Saha.” Notably, the 38-year-old played his last test for India in December 2021 in Mumbai. A year ago, the veteran wicketkeeper himself said that he might not get a chance now with other young wicketkeeper options like Pant, Rahul, and Ishan available.