"It will depend on how this 39-year-old body responds" - Wriddhiman Saha pledges support to Bengal once again

The media centre was packed to the rafters. Up on the wall, ‘The Cricket Association of Bengal’ signage seemed to be at its brightest glow. President Snehasis Ganguly and secretary Naresh Ojha had a smile on their face. In between, sat Wriddhiman Saha. His cap said: NEVER GIVE UP.

More than two years since having an ugly fallout with CAB, the wicketkeeper-batter was back home for the 2024/25 domestic season.

“Even when I left Bengal, I was on and off in touch with CAB officials. I had myself left because I wasn’t probably in agreement with a few things,” Wriddhiman Saha told reporters at Eden Gardens on Monday evening.

It was on May 27 this year that news of Saha's homecoming surfaced. Interestingly, the development came just a few days after Sudip Chatterjee, another Bengal man, left Tripura for his home state. Both subsequently played in the Bengal Pro T20 League for Rashmi Medinipur Wizards in June.

After missing the group stage of the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons, Wriddhiman Saha was picked for the knockouts. But, a day later, he pulled out again. He was anguished over an office-bearer questioning his commitment to playing for Bengal. He eventually moved on to Tripura as player-cum-mentor.

Asked if Sourav Ganguly had a role to play in his comeback, Saha gave a usual diplomatic reply.

“Like how everyone knows dadi is a part of CAB, so is Snehasish da and Naresh sir. It’s not like you have to go through a particular person. An association is not made up of just one person. And if I express my interest to one person, the others will also get to know,” he said.

Former captain Manoj Tiwary’s retirement at the end of last season left a gaping hole in Bengal’s middle order. With the supply line not so strong, CAB must have felt compelled to thaw its ties with the 40-Test veteran. And for someone who has always put his team above himself, Saha wouldn't have thought much.

“There are times when, even if you don’t want to do something, you have to do it for the team. So for any of the formats, if my decision clashes with that of the team, the latter should always get priority. As of now, I am available for all three formats. But it’ll ultimately depend on how this 39-year-old body responds,” Wriddhiman Saha, who will turn 40 this October, explained.

But he made it clear that, once he decides to hang up his boots, he will stop playing all the formats and tournaments.

“If I want to quit, I will quit from all formats. I am not thinking long-term. I want to focus on the immediate. We have the Ranji Trophy coming up followed by the white-ball season. I am aging as well and it’s important to assess the body on a series-to-series basis. There’s domestic first and then the IPL,” he added.

Wriddhiman Saha last played for Bengal in November 2021 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. His last Test came that December against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.

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How did Wriddhiman Saha perform for Tripura?

Wriddhiman Saha during the 2021 WTC final against New Zealand

Wriddhiman Saha in Tripura was like a prompter in theatre. Even though he was the captain, he mainly played a supporting role. Sometimes he opened the batting, sometimes he threw everyone in at the deep end and came in only when he had to.

His first assignment was the Mushtaq Ali in October 2022. He didn't score much as Tripura won three matches out of seven and finished sixth in the group. The Vijay Hazare Trophy saw a fifth-placed finish. They would have fared even better had they not fallen short by just four runs against Chandigarh after Wriddhiman Saha made a counter-attacking 101 off 106 balls.

The Ranji Trophy was a disaster as they failed to register a single outright win. Saha, though, notched up his 14th first-class hundred with an unbeaten 101 versus a strong Punjab outfit.

In the last domestic season, Saha didn't do anything noticeable with the bat in white-ball cricket. But his side performed well as a team, winning four matches in the 50-over tournament and finishing third in the group.

He was a middle-order mainstay in the Ranji Trophy, though. He began the campaign with a boundary-laced 97 against Goa as Tripura logged six points straight up. They also beat Gujarat away in a famous win as Wriddhima Saha was the lone man standing in the first innings with 59* off 62 balls in an all-out total of 146. He finished the season with three fifty-plus scores to boot.

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