The match number 48 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur between the hosts Rajasthan Royals and the Gujarat Titans ended in a pretty easy win for the away team.
After deciding to bat first after winning the toss, the Rajasthan Royals did not enjoy a smooth ride. They lost the wicket of Jos Buttler early on whole star batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was run out in the last over of the powerplay reducing Rajasthan to 2 for 47 runs.
Captain Sanju Samson also couldn’t contribute much as he scored 30 runs in 20 balls. In the end, Rajasthan Royals could only score 118 runs and were all out.
Chasing the target, both Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill gave Gujarat a steady start before the latter was dismissed after scoring 36 runs in 35 balls.
But then Hardik Pandya came and played aj unbeaten inning of 39 runs in 15 balls and won the match for his team in just 14 overs. Meanwhile, Saha also remained not out for 41 runs in 34 balls.
Talking about Saha, he was India’s first choice wicketkeeper after MS Dhoni retired and before Rishabh Pant become a dependable wicketkeeper. He was dropped from the team to accomodate a young Srikar Bharat into the squad, who has now made his India debut after a long wait as Saha and Pant’s backup.
Wriddhiman Saha, aged 38, playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 has displayed that he is one of the best in terms of wicketkeeping skills. He demonstrated his skill last night when dived to right, opposite side to the batter, to save a brilliant wide boundary.
The video of his brilliant keeping skill behind the wicket is going viral, in which also Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya was shocked to see such athleticism from a 38 years old.
After seeing that, fans are now demanding that Saha should be India’s first choice wicketkeeper for the upcoming World Test Championship Final 2023 vs Australia. Pant is currently out of cricket action after he suffered a car accident last year while Bharat is still very inexperienced while KL Rahul, who was also wicketkeeping option, has been ruled out of the final due to injury.