Kolkata: India wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha has come out strong after being dismissed from the Indian side for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins on March 4.
Saha, who has been in and out of the Indian team in recent months, claimed that head coach Rahul Dravid had told him to think about “retirement” as he won’t be considered for selection henceforth.
“The team management had told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup,” Wriddhiman was quoted as saying by PTI on Saturday.
“Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also alleged that BCCI president Sourav Ganguly praised him after his valiant 61 in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur in November.
“After scoring 61 against New Zealand at Kanpur, Dadi (Ganguly) congratulated me over WhatsApp and mentioned, ‘As long as I’m here (helming the BCCI), you would be in the team’. Such a message from the BCCI president really boosted my confidence. What I’m struggling to understand is that how things have changed so fast,” Saha told The Sunday Express after the India squad for the home series against Sri Lanka was announced.
However, this was not the first time that the Indian player revealed any controversial statement against the BCCI president. Earlier Virat Kohli had held a fiery press conference just before the South Africa tour exposing Ganguly for his contradictory statements. He later stepped down from the Test captaincy after the 1-2 series defeat.
