'I feel a bit of satisfaction that I could deliver what Virat wanted from me'
'It was fun keeping in Sri Lanka. I didn't believe when I watched the kind of bounce generated on fourth and fifth day tracks on a sub-continental wicket'
The back-to-back half-centuries against Sri Lanka are just the confidence-booster Wriddhiman Saha needs as he slowly recovers from the hamstring injury that prevented him from playing in the third Test of the just-concluded series.
Now, he's looking to get match fit and resume duties.
"South Africa Tests are still two months away. I am confident that I will get fit much before that. Hopefully, I will be playing Ranji Trophy for Bengal next month to get match fit. Right now I am in Kolkata doing my rehabilitation. I will be going to Bangalore later to check whether I have fully recovered, as I would need physio's clearance," the wicketkeeper-batsman said.
The 30-year-old is happy he made significant contributions, scoring 60 and 56 at Galle and P Sara Oval during first two Tests.
"Obviously, the twin half-centuries acted as confidence boosters. I am happy that I have played my little part in the team's 2-1 series victory. For me, more than the volume of runs, it is important that in what situation I have scored those runs. When I look back, I feel a bit of satisfaction that I could deliver what Virat (Kohli) wanted from me," said the Bengal glovesman.
For him, the 60 at Galle was a shade better than his 56 at the P Sara Oval.
"I would rate the Galle innings higher as there was both turn and bounce on that track. Also, I had not got a fifty in Tests till then. It was a challenge that I enjoyed. Also, I batted with the tail (in both Tests), which demands taking greater responsibility. (Dhammika) Prasad and (Rangana) Herath are class bowlers and doing well against them increases self-belief," said the Siliguri lad, who now has 284 runs from seven Tests.
He rates Australia's Ryan Harris as the "most skillful bowler" he's faced in his short international career, with Prasad a close second.
"It's difficult to pick Prasad from the hand as at times his grip on the ball is not orthodox. The ball will land on a scrambled seam position and it's difficult to predict if it will come in or move away after pitching. That spell by Prasad in the second Test was really a testing one."
Asked about his trigger movement and the committed front-foot style while batting, Wriddhiman said, "I believe you can have a distinct batting style. The philosophy of this team is to believe in strengths and get the maximum out of it. If I can have as many shots in my range as a front-foot player, so be it. Even a 30 should help the team win."
Talking about his ‘keeping, he said: "It was fun keeping in Sri Lanka. I didn't believe when I watched the kind of bounce generated on fourth and fifth day tracks on a sub-continental wicket. Among the bowlers I felt that Ishant at times was bowling as quick if not quicker than Varun (Aaron) and Umesh (Yadav).
"When the ball hits the keeper's gloves, he can feel it. Ishant also used the scrambled seam and with his height got that disconcerting bounce."
Wriddhiman spoke about how Ajinkya Rahane helped him quickly get over the disappointment of not scoring during the practice game.
"When I had low scores (3 and 1) in the warm-up game, Ajinkya came up and told me, 'Don't worry. You will score in Tests where it matters'. That's what has been the hallmark. Everyone is enjoying each other's success," said the ‘keeper.
Asked if Naman Ojha's free-flowing strokeplay in the final Test has put him under pressure, his reply was straightforward.
"I don't play cricket thinking about other's performance. I got injured and Naman was assigned a duty. He did his job to the best of his abilities and India won the match. Now who will play is up to the selectors. My job is to keep improving and I will strive in doing that."
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