I don't think about centuries, only the team victory matters, says Saha

INDIA WICKET-KEEPER Wriddhiman Saha has stated that he never felt the need to keep the lower-order batsmen away from the strike. Saha stressed on the importance of extending confidence to tail-enders and mentioned that they should be given strike to boost the morale. 

In an interaction with bcci.tv, the wicket-keeper batsman said,

“This is not new to me. I have done this right since I played club cricket. When I bat in that position, I only think about giving an equal opportunity to score to the batsman at the other end. I never feel the need to keep the tail-ender safe from strike. It is about giving them confidence and making them feel even they can score runs. It helps me and the confidence of the batsman at the other end.”

Saha claimed the Man of the Match award for putting up two unbeaten half-centuries in India’s 178-run win in the second Test against New Zealand at Eden Gardens. Speaking about his partnership with Rohit Sharma, the 31-year-old said,

“If you look at this Test, I had to play foil to Rohit Sharma who was scoring well at that moment. I might have just scored a 30 or 40 in that partnership with him but I do realise that it is invaluable given the situation of the match. 50s and 100s do not matter; sometimes even 30s and 40s are precious.”

Saha mentioned that he doesn't care much about the personal achievements. The Siliguri-born cricketer added that he felt glad that his half-century had helped the team win the Eden Test.

“I do not care about centuries, what I care is about the team’s interest and whether my knocks have helped the team. I am just happy I could score a couple of half centuries that helped the team’s cause. What is even more pleasing is that fact that it came under difficult situations. I received a lot of support from the other batsmen during those innings.”
 

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