India wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha has slammed BCCI after being dropped from the Test team for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on March 4.
Saha, who had earlier pulled out of the ongoing Ranji Trophy, has now revealed why he took the decision. The Bengal cricketer said that the Indian team management headed by head coach Rahul Dravid had told him to think about retirement.
“Yes, the team management told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup,” Saha told media persons on Saturday.
“Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement,” the 37-year-old added further.
“When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a painkiller in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dadi (as Sourav Ganguly was referred to by Bengal players) congratulated me over Whatsapp. He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything as long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board President really boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast,” the explosive Saha vented.
Notably, the All India Senior Selection Committee announced India Test and T20I squads for the Sri Lanka series on Saturday and apart from Saha, Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma were also dropped from the team.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma was appointed full-time captain of the side in the longest format as well.
