Wriddhiman Saha 'has got better hands' than Parthiv Patel, says MSK Prasad, ending selection debate

Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha will regain his place in the Indian Test team, ahead of Parthiv Patel, chairman of selectors MSK Prasad clarified on Tuesday. Saha is India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests, but an injury during the five-match series against England last year resulted in Parthiv Patel being drafted in as a replacement.

While Patel had a good comeback in Tests after eight years, hitting two half-centuries, followed by a match-winning hundred in the Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai, Saha scored an unbeaten 203 to help Rest of India win the Irani Trophy on his return to fitness.

“Personally, I can say that Wriddiman Saha was out of the team because of injury and not because he was out of form,” said Prasad. “He was Man of the Match in the Kolkata Test against New Zealand and got a hundred in West Indies,” he added.

Prasad said that the Irani Cup game was not a trial for Saha but a case of testing his fitness. “We had made it clear that someone who is coming back from injury, had to play in a domestic game and this was the best opportunity,” Prasad said. “Right now Saha and Parthiv Patel are the best Nos 1 and 2 that we have. It was only to test fitness that we had Saha play here.”

Patel will continue to be on the radar, Prasad said, adding that Saha scored over the Gujarat glovesman in wicketkeeping abilities. “I am happy how Parthiv has responded to the call-up. He is a fighter to the core. He single-handedly brought Gujarat from nowhere to being the Ranji Champions. He is in our scheme of things. There is just a minor difference between the two. When it comes to Test cricket, it is always the man who keeps better who gets the nod.

“Parthiv’s glovework has definitely improved. But Saha has got better hands and that’s where he scores little more points than Parthiv. With today’s batting, Saha showed why he is the number one keeper-batsman in the country. When he came out to bat yesterday the team was struggling at 63/4, and to take the game away from Gujarat, is phenomenal. So it’s a healthy competition between the two.”