Saha has cemented his place in the Indian team, but we don't fancy him in fantasy leagues

WHEN MS DHONI was captaining the Indian team in the Test matches, it became almost impossible for any other wicket-keeper in the country to make the cut into the national team, let alone being in the playing 11. 

That said, whenever Dhoni was given a break or missed out due to injury, the wicket-keeping duties went to Wriddhiman Saha, and the Bengal lad did pretty well to hold his ground at least with the gloves, if not with the willow. 

While there was no doubt about his skill as a wicket-keeper, his inability to score runs down the order always remained a concern. In fact, if not for his clinical, soft hands with the gloves, he could have well been replaced by someone else. 
Despite a poor run with the bat from the Australian tour to the one in Bangladesh, the selectors stuck with Saha during the Lankan tour. Unfortunately, Saha couldn’t deliver the goods with the bat and failed to create an impact lower down. 

Very quickly, new skipper Virat Kohli kept experimenting with five specialist bowlers outside the country and in the recently concluded tour of the West Indies, even promoted R Ashwin ahead of Saha in the batting order. Ashwin like a true opportunist scored two consecutive hundreds against the Windies and kept pushing Saha down the order. 

That said, in ST. Lucia, Saha played a typical Test innings and scored a brilliant 100 to silence his critics. Capitalizing on his run, he even bailed India out of trouble with two half-centuries on the bounce at the Eden Gardens. 

While one can never be sure about Kohli’s tactics, Saha has at least repaid his captain's faith and his recent run might even encourage Kohli to go in with five bowlers tomorrow at Indore. India has a lengthy Test season ahead, and there are no better keepers in the country than Saha. That said, Saha will still need to get the runs in dire situations to keep his place cemented in the team. 

On the fantasy cricket front, including Saha in your teams at all times is never a good option. If India is playing in overseas conditions, it is not advisable to keep him as a keeper in your fantasy teams. However, if India is playing at home, they obviously picking him makes sense. 

It’s not to be forgotten that keeping to Jadeja, Mishra and Ashwin, Saha often gets a chance to stump the batsmen out and caught behind is also a possibility. Remember, wicket-keepers generate crucial points with their glove work. 

But, before you make any conclusions, we have already mentioned in our fantasy column about his omission from our fantasy team for the Indore Test. We feel New Zealand’s keeper Luke Ronchi has a lot more to offer to the gamers with his bat. Although he won’t keep, his ability to score quickly might just make the difference in various fantasy leagues.