At 38, Saha keeps a high standard

As far as ageing-like-fine-wine wicketkeeper-batters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) go, there’s none quite like MS Dhoni. And then there's Wriddhiman Saha, your quintessential under-the-radar player and personality who, 16 seasons into the league, still finds himself turning up for it. And who, at 38, still manages to keep himself relevant in it among the other young Indian keeper-bats — Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma — jostling for national reckoning alongside Rishabh Pant.

How? Simply, by playing a specific role for Gujarat Titans (GT) that isn’t the superstar lead gig but has been among the salient contributors to the franchise’s title-winning success last year and table-topping show so far this season. That role, in Saha’s words, has been to cash in on the powerplay.

Also Read | 'Quite intentional about trying to get 100s': RCB captain Du Plessis opens up on change in batting approach in IPL 2023

In GT's last two wins, that has been the telling factor. Against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on a flat Ahmedabad deck on Sunday Saha accounted for 54 of the hosts' 78 runs in six overs, toying with the bowlers’ lines and lengths. He danced down to Avesh Khan. He forced left-armer Mohsin Khan to go around the wicket after picking his short balls for boundaries on the leg and, when he did, creamed a full one over long-off. He gave himself room to loft Krunal Pandya over the off-side ring. By the time Saha was done on 81 off 43 balls, GT were 142 in the 13th over with the base set for the big win.

In the game prior to chasing 119 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on a tricker Jaipur track, Saha gave them a fast start again. He belted Trent Boult for two fours in his first over and two more in his third. A 49-run powerplay had five fours and 25 runs from Saha, who saw them home with an unbeaten 41.

Saha has had more of such low recall yet high value knocks this season. In a low-scoring match in Lucknow, Saha (47) made 34 of the 40 scored in the powerplay by GT who defended 135/6 for a seven-run win. Before that, chasing Punjab Kings' 153/8 in Mohali, Saha's 19-ball 30, which comprised four fours of the third over by Arshdeep Singh, got his team well ahead of the asking rate.

"I have always found Wriddhi to be one of the best keepers I have played with. The way he adds value and does the job for us is tremendous," GT captain Hardik Pandya said after the RR game.

That job not only gives fellow opener Shubman Gill some time to settle down for his big appetite run meal but also enough deliveries for GT’s impact-players— the likes of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia — to do their thing at the back end. And that’s over and above the exceptional wicketkeeping skills and experience that Saha brings to the two-season-old franchise’s table.

“He is such a fantastic guy," Gill, 23, said of Saha. “To be able to bat with him and have that bonding, share his experience. He's played from the first season and is still playing. And the way he keeps, his fitness, it is just phenomenal.”

Saha has often adapted to these roles quickly. Like he did for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the business end of the 2020 season when they were forced to drop Jonny Bairstow to accommodate Kane Williamson. In the four matches thereafter, Saha smashed 214 striking at close to 140 with two half-centuries as SRH finished third. Like he did for GT last year after being belatedly picked at the auction. Awaiting his chance in the XI, Saha came in and chipped in with 317 runs (Avg: 31.70, SR: 122.39) and three fifties from 11 matches. In the 11 games this season, he has scored fewer (273 runs) but faster (SR: 137.18).

Although GT's third-highest run-getter after Gill and Pandya, Saha lies 21st in the top-scorers' chart this season. His IPL career record — 2700 runs across more than 150 matches (SR: 129) — isn't too striking either. Yet, almost typifying his Test career spent mostly under the shadow of Dhoni and then Pant, trust Saha to quietly go about playing a role for the team.