Rahul Dravid exclaims he’s not hurt by the way Wriddhiman Saha reacted post the former suggesting him to consider his retirement.
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India’s veteran wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has made it to the headlines ever since he decided to disclose his WhatsApp chat details with a journalist. The scathing details revealed that the journalist chose to threaten Saha for his alleged denial to do an interview with him.
Fans and former cricketers including the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, and Ravi Shastri have rallied behind the 37-year-old with some of them even requesting him to disclose the identity of the journalist.
Additionally, a few hours after the Bengal wicketkeeper was omitted from Team India’s squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, he expressed his disappointment on head coach Rahul Dravid for indirectly suggesting him to consider retiring from International Cricket.
Rahul Dravid exclaims he’s not hurt
Rahul Dravid, while addressing the press post India’s 3-0 victory over the West Indies in the home T20I series, remarked that he is not hurt one bit on the way Saha reacted to his suggestion and with his explicable communication that the veteran wicketkeeper would not be considered for selection in the Indian team henceforth.
“I’m not hurt at all. I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman Saha and his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket. My conversation with him came from that place. He deserved honesty and clarity. I didn’t want him to hear about it from the media,” remarked Dravid when asked if he was hurt by Wriddhiman Saha’s words.
The India head coach also went on to state that he does not expect the players to agree with all his messages to them, and that it is natural for them to get upset.
“These are conversations I have with players. I’m not hurt about it at all because I don’t expect players to like all the messages or agree with them. But that doesn’t mean you brush it under the carpet and don’t have the conversations. Even now, before every XI is picked either me or Rohit will speak to those not playing. It’s natural for players at times to get upset. I just felt my team deserved clarity and honest and that’s all I was trying to convey,” Dravid further added.
This is a sane take. Well done, Rahul Dravid. Take notes, a certain faction of the BCCI. https://t.co/cUGAQdKfID
— Lavanya (@lav_narayanan) February 20, 2022
“We were looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper”-Rahul Dravid on Wriddhiman Saha’s exclusion
Dravid finally remarked that with Rishabh Pant having already established himself as the team wicketkeeper across formats, the team wanted to groom a young wicketkeeper.
“We have only 3 Tests this year and with Rishabh Pant having established himself, we were looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper. This doesn’t change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi or his contribution,” said Dravid.
KS Bharat- the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Andhra Pradesh has been picked as the additional wicketkeeping option for the Test series against Sri Lanka.
