Wriddhiman Saha: The anti-MS Dhoni wicket-keeper that India need

Saha - the anti-Dhoni that India needs

Saha has a very safe pair of hands behind the stumps

While India continues its search for the man who could succeed MS Dhoni in limited-overs cricket, there are no such headaches as far as Tests are concerned since the man from Bengal has done to find an assured place in the starting XI.

In many ways, Saha is different to Dhoni. While the latter is unorthodox and the kind you would find in gully cricket, the former is conventional and technically sound. For those who have seen Dhoni’s biopic, the one common dialogue that is spoken about his keeping is that, “ Why are you catching the ball as if you are catching fish?”

That’s a line one wouldn’t use to describe Saha. He waits for that additional second to let the ball enter into his gloves, with both pace and spin. It is a technique that will delight any keeper and one that has found praise coming his way.

If there is one complaint that people have, it is that he does not flick the bails off as fast as Dhoni, but the former skipper is a different breed altogether and not all possess that ability.

With the bat in hand, the two are very different, too. While Dhoni possesses a technique of his own, against both pace and spin, Saha’s batting gives us an indication of a proper top-order batsman, who can adapt to both pace and spin.

Evidence of that was seen in Kolkata as well as in the West Indies when he showed solid defence and combined that with the occasional boundary to get the team out of trouble.

There are a couple of words that come to mind when watching Saha go about his work. ‘No fuss’ seems the most apt word, for that's exactly how he does his job. There are no tantrums thrown, no outrageous celebrations. He seems alert at his job and also seems to know his role.

At this moment, with the Indian Test team going through a period where they have done terrifically well on home soil, Saha's batting and keeping gives Kohli – who has publicly in the past said that he is the number one keeper in the side – assurance in the lower-order along with Ashwin.

With 11 more Tests to go in the home season, he will hope to contribute further to the team’s success and establish himself as a vital cog in this very impressive looking setup.