'Deserved better treatment': Rajkumar Sharma weighs in on Saha controversy; 'No one has the right to tell a player that'
Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, has expressed his thoughts on the controversy surrounding Wriddhiman Saha.
Wriddhiman Saha has been making the headlines ever since the BCCI announced Team India's squads for the upcoming T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka. Be it his omission from the Test squad and Rahul Dravid asking him to consider retirement or him exposing a journalist, Saha's past couple of days have been quite rough. Numerous experts and cricketers have come out in support of the wicketkeeper-batter and spoken about the issue. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is Rajkumar Sharma.
Sharma, Virat Kohli's childhood coach, has addressed the controversy in very stern words, saying 37-year-old Saha the selectors should do their jobs and that no one has the right to tell the player when to retire.
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Speaking on the Khelneeti podcast, he said:
"There have been too many controversies over the last 3-4 months, which is not good for Indian cricket. Regarding Saha, there are conflicting statements coming out from different officials. No one has the right to tell a player that he should retire. It is his individual decision. Selecting or not selecting a player is a different issue. Dravid may have spoken to Saha in good faith, but the controversy has become too big now. BCCI needs to stay away from such controversies.
“The job of the selectors should be done by the selectors only. Roles have been defined in the BCCI and everyone should stick to theirs. It's sad to see the Saha controversy. He has been the world’s No.1 wicketkeeper and a silent contributor. He deserved better treatment than this," elaborated Sharma.
Saha's place in the side was always under threat as youngster Rishabh Pant outperformed him with the bat and improved his glovework. Despite being one of the finest wicketkeepers the country's ever produced, Saha only got to play two Tests last year.
