Saha saga more than distasteful

Cricket pundits the world over should stop taking themselves so seriously and gone are the days when they could make or break players. Meanwhile, one’s heart goes out to Wriddhiman Saha

We live in unique times. And I am not referring to the pandemic alone. India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha’s revelation that he was threatened over WhatsApp by an unnamed journalist, smarting from not being granted an interview by him, is straight out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Or probably akin to a master batsman intimidating a swift bowler.

All these years, the media has been at the mercy of the players and the Board, but here, a BCCI-contracted player has been put in a position where he would be targeted for his decision not to grant the journalist an interview.

The journalist in question thought he could get away with blasting Saha, who has been uncontroversial before the latest incident. Maybe he didn’t consider the fact that he was dealing with an angry man of 37, who had just been told that he was not in the selectors/team management’s plans for the future, although these are two different issues.

Hopefully, the Saha saga won’t lead to a situation where journalists will be kept further away from the players. 

One has to feel for Saha. On one hand, he was told by chief coach Rahul Dravid in South Africa that he shouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t get picked for the Test series against Sri Lanka because the team management and the selectors were looking to groom a “new face.” On his return from South Africa, chief selector Chetan Sharma wanted to know if he was playing the Ranji Trophy. In the same conversation Saha was told that he wouldn’t be considered for India henceforth.

Sharma, in the virtual press conference after picking the side for the Sri Lanka series, indicated how important it was to play domestic cricket. He told the media: “I can’t tell you on what grounds he has been dropped. That’s for selectors. All I can tell you is that he was told before and asked to play the Ranji Trophy, which is the ladder for the Indian team. What we discussed between ourselves we can’t tell you. Why he did not play Ranji, the state association CAB [Cricket Association of Bengal] can tell you that. That is not my jurisdiction. As selectors, we wanted them [referring to Saha and Ishant Sharma] to play. We are not looking at age.” 

Dravid did well to make Saha aware as to where he stood in the road ahead. Generally selectors have such chats. Here, the chief coach got proactive. The former India captain also displayed maturity and understanding when he told the media that he had no problem with Saha revealing a private conversation with him.

Be that as it may, Saha would be justified in believing that he deserved better. In 11 years, he has figured in only 40 Tests. Only when MS Dhoni was injured or banned for slow over-rate (as he was, for the Adelaide Test of 2011-12) could Saha make the playing XI. 

Naman Ojha, Parthiv Patel and Rishabh Pant have kept wickets for India too thereafter, and Saha is no longer the first choice for the stumper’s job, despite him being the best for that role which has, in the last few decades, extended to batting. Who knows what the next trend will be? Maybe a fast bowler will only be considered if he is not a dummy with the bat.

If the recent Mumbai Test against New Zealand ends up being Saha’s last Test, so be it. He did the best he could with whatever opportunities he got – after all-time great Dhoni’s fine Test stint and before Pant became a game-changer. Saha will have to take this probable international end on the chin. 

Meanwhile, cricket pundits the world over should stop taking themselves so seriously. Gone are the days when they could make or break players. 

No controversy is sweet, but this is more than just distasteful. The media game has changed. Yet, the journalistic fraternity and players have to coexist. 

The media don’t expect to be invited to visit dressing rooms after a day’s play, as it happened in another era, but if both parties respect each other’s needs, that sphere will be a better place.

Dressing room visits…ah, that reminds of me of the great Australian cricket writer Ray Robinson. Australia’s wicketkeeper Rod Marsh knew Robinson had an ulcer problem hence he couldn’t consume fresh beer. He relished the prospect of Robinson coming over to the dressing room for a chat after play so Marsh used to open a couple of bottles a few hours before stumps to ensure the flat brew didn’t do damage to Robinson’s health. 

Such reverence for a journalist is rare and near impossible to see in this era. But this is a true story and, like the Saha saga, it involves a wicketkeeper. There’s something to be said here on the difference between journalists who are truly influential and ones who simply perceive themselves to be so. But the less said on that subject, the better.

mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello

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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper

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