KOLKATA: Veteran wicketkeeper and batter Wriddhiman Saha told the Bengal Cricket Association on Thursday that he was “unwilling” to play for the state team in the upcoming Ranji Trophy knockouts.
This effectively ends Saha’s glorious career with Bengal, where he made his Ranji debut in November 2007 and played 122 Premier Class and 102 List A games.
“The Bengal Cricket Association wanted Wriddhiman Saha to play for Bengal at this crucial time especially when Bengal would be battling in the knockout stage with the aim of winning the Ranji Trophy after becoming the top ranked team of the country at the end of the Internship,” CAB Chairman Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement.
“I had expressed this to Wriddhiman and asked him to reconsider. However, Wriddhiman has now let us know that he is not willing to play the Ranji Knockouts.”
The 37-year-old, who has played 122 first-class games, has also left his official team’s WhatsApp group, making it clear that he has moved on.
A CAB official said Saha has yet to apply for a No Objection Certificate (NOC), but the association will give it to him once he asks for it.
“We tried our best to convince him even through his childhood coach (Jayanta Bhowmick) but he decided not to play for Bengal anymore. as he requests,” the official told PTI.
Saha initially withdrew from the Ranji Trophy group stage for “personal reasons” after being left out of the Indian Test squad for the two-legged home series against Sri Lanka in February.
CAB Assistant Secretary Debabrata Das then made unsavory statements against Saha in the media, questioning his commitment to infuriating the veteran wicket-beater keeper.
Following his sublime form in the ongoing IPL for his Gujarat Titans franchise, Saha was picked for the quarter-final over Ranji which annoyed him even more as “he was not consulted before being selected” .
Saha reportedly demanded an apology from Debabrata Das but after that didn’t materialize, he made it clear that he won’t play for Bengal again.
“There are a lot of things in between. But now we know clearly that he is not playing so we can prepare accordingly for the big game,” the official said.
Bengal will play their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jharkhand in Bangalore from June 6.
This effectively ends Saha’s glorious career with Bengal, where he made his Ranji debut in November 2007 and played 122 Premier Class and 102 List A games.
“The Bengal Cricket Association wanted Wriddhiman Saha to play for Bengal at this crucial time especially when Bengal would be battling in the knockout stage with the aim of winning the Ranji Trophy after becoming the top ranked team of the country at the end of the Internship,” CAB Chairman Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement.
“I had expressed this to Wriddhiman and asked him to reconsider. However, Wriddhiman has now let us know that he is not willing to play the Ranji Knockouts.”
The 37-year-old, who has played 122 first-class games, has also left his official team’s WhatsApp group, making it clear that he has moved on.
A CAB official said Saha has yet to apply for a No Objection Certificate (NOC), but the association will give it to him once he asks for it.
“We tried our best to convince him even through his childhood coach (Jayanta Bhowmick) but he decided not to play for Bengal anymore. as he requests,” the official told PTI.
Saha initially withdrew from the Ranji Trophy group stage for “personal reasons” after being left out of the Indian Test squad for the two-legged home series against Sri Lanka in February.
CAB Assistant Secretary Debabrata Das then made unsavory statements against Saha in the media, questioning his commitment to infuriating the veteran wicket-beater keeper.
Following his sublime form in the ongoing IPL for his Gujarat Titans franchise, Saha was picked for the quarter-final over Ranji which annoyed him even more as “he was not consulted before being selected” .
Saha reportedly demanded an apology from Debabrata Das but after that didn’t materialize, he made it clear that he won’t play for Bengal again.
“There are a lot of things in between. But now we know clearly that he is not playing so we can prepare accordingly for the big game,” the official said.
Bengal will play their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Jharkhand in Bangalore from June 6.