Wriddhiman Saha is all set to undergo surgery on his right shoulder for the injury that has sidelined him from the squad

What's the story

Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was sidelined from the squad after contracting an injury on his right shoulder, as a result of which it was understood that he would not feature in the upcoming five-match Test series against England.

As more reports have come up on the update to his injury, it is understood that he will now need to undergo surgery on his shoulder as part of treatmen. The surgery will be conducted in Manchester, England.

In case you didn't know

Wriddhiman Saha's injuries have been obstructing the player's career on repeated occasions in the past few years, ever since he finally broke into the squad following MS Dhoni's retirement in Test matches, after spending a lot of time in the reserves.

Saha was a part of the squad that toured South Africa for a Test Series in early January 2018, but had to return halfway following a problem with his shoulder. Parthiv Patel replaced him in the squad.

Saha returned to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but featured in very few games for eventual runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), as shoulder issues continued to persist. Post-IPL, he was initially named in the squad playing against Afghanistan in their first-ever Test match, but injuries sidelined him once again. It was hoped that he would recover by the time India plays against England, but that has not happened either.

The heart of the matter

Wriddhiman Saha's condition has been detected to be what is called a "posterosuperior labral tear" on his right shoulder.

The problem is supposedly career-threatening, and so an immediate medical action has been advised, hence the impending surgery. It is slated to be conducted at the end of July or early August in Manchester.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) addressed the media providing the latest updates on Saha's health, in the form of a BCCI special bulletin. The move was taken after the widespread confusion on the issue in the external media, with contrasting reports emerging from several sources.

Several reliable sources including The Telegraph, had also established via interviews with BCCI chief selector MSK Prasad that a thumb fracture suffered by the player during his IPL stint early this year was the reason for his exclusion from the 18-man Test squad named to play against England.

The latest BCCI special bulletin however, quashes these reports and establishes that Saha was actually suffering from a re-occurence of the shoulder injury that has been plaguing him since January 2018. It also specifies categorically that all of Saha's treatment and rehabilitation processes at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) was "performed in coordination with the team management and the GM of Operations (Saba Karim)."

According to the bulletin, Saha first reported to the NCA physios in late January during the South African tour, complaining of pain in the right shoulder. Scans detected the labral tear, and an ultrasound-guided injection was administered, followed by the rehab programs at NCA itself. After being discharged on March 19, nearly two months after he first reported, Saha left to play for the SRH in the IPL, but the problem showed up once again on May 7th, during the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

This was succeeded by the same course of medication and rehab as the first time, as he missed the next five IPL games. He returned in the Qualifier game against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 25, only to injure his thumb (later revealed to be a fracture) that served as reason for his exit from the squad against Afghanistan.

A month later, on July 2 he returned, this time checking into rehab with a completely healed thumb, but with "pain and restrictions in movement" in the right shoulder. Scans then revealed that the labral tear has worsened. Yet another steroid injection was administered, but it had no effect of recovery and as a result, Saha was declared unfit for selection for the England tests and surgery has been prescribed.

What's next?

The injury threatens Saha's entire career in its present stage, and hence the surgery was necessary. This will also imply that Saha will need significant post-op rehabilitation for full recovery meaning that the 33-year-old could be out of competitive action for a long time.