A right thumb injury sustained during the Indian Premier League 2018 might keep Wriddhiman Saha out of India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, the visiting side’s maiden outing in the format, starting in Bangalore on 14 June.
Saha, turning out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Twenty 20 tournament, suffered the injury when he was struck by a bouncer during a game against Kolkata Knight Riders and was forced to miss the final against Chennai Super Kings, which his team lost by eight wickets.
“I don’t know the exact situation, so I cannot comment on whether I would be taking part in the Afghanistan Test,” Saha was quoted as saying by The Times of India. “The BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] doctor will have the final say. The doctor will take a call next week.”
Saha had earlier missed six games in the IPL with a shoulder injury, before being laid low by the blow to the thumb.
The 15-man squad named for the Afghanistan Test doesn’t have Virat Kohli, originally scheduled to spend time with Surrey to prepare for the tour of England but since sidelined with a neck injury, Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. The team will be led by Ajinkya Rahane.
Importantly, there is no back-up wicket-keeper in the line-up, with KL Rahul, the top-order batsman, the only one with wicket-keeping experience, though usually as a part-time option.
“I am always open to the challenge of dual responsibility. I have been training hard and will take up the role if the team demands the same,” Rahul told The Indian Express.
But, if Saha does drop out, indications are that one of Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik, who have played 25 and 23 Test matches respectively, will be drafted in.
“The BCCI is keeping a track of my injury on a day-to-day basis. The decision lies with them,” Saha said. “ To be honest, I might not be fit for that game. It’s not in my hands.”
Both Patel and Karthik, interestingly, were in South Africa for the three-Test series in January 2018, and Patel replaced Saha in the XI for the second and third Tests when the first-choice keeper picked up a hamstring niggle.
