Ganguly asks Saha for Bengal return; will he accept?

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has asked aggrieved veteran stumper Wriddhiman Saha to play 'one last match' for his home state Bengal before calling it quits, Tripura Cricket Association joint secretary Jayanta Dey said on Monday.

The 39-year-old, who joined Tripura after a rift with some Cricket Association of Bengal officials in 2022, met Ganguly in Kolkata.

"Ganguly wants Saha to retire for Bengal, playing at least one last match. Saha told me this. But he's yet to ask for an NOC (no objection certificate) from Tripura," Dey told PTI.

"We have recently given NOC to Sudip Chatterjee who is set for a Bengal return, but Saha has not asked for it as of now," he added.

It remains to be seen if Saha may turn up for Siliguri Strikers in the Bengal Pro T20 franchise league beginning on June 11, even as the players draft for the teams are over.

Their meeting comes two years after Saha had hit out against the Ganguly-led BCCI after he was not picked for the India home Test series against Sri Lanka.

He had revealed private dressing room conversations between him and head coach Rahul Dravid regarding his future that he should 'think about retirement'. He had further claimed that Ganguly had assured him a 'spot' in the team.

Saha then chose not to play for Bengal as a senior official Debabrata Das had raised questions about his commitments leading to another fallout.

Saha even quit Bengal team's WhatsApp group and went on to join Tripura. The then CAB president Avishek Dalmiya tried to persuade Saha back into Bengal fold but he remained adamant.