Wriddhiman Saha’s injury update: Likely to miss the Australia tour

Wriddhiman Saha’s injury update: Injured wicket-keeper might not recover in time for the Australian tour.

In which has come as another concerning update for the Indian Test team, wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha is all in likeliness to miss the tour of Australia to be played later in the year. Post MS Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket, Saha had become India’s first-choice wicket-keeper in Test matches.

However, a shoulder injury has kept him away from the game for some months now. The shoulder injury which the 33-year old Saha is nursing at the moment, had occured during the tour of South Africa when he had returned back home after playing the first Test match.

Saha took part in the IPL but ended up injuring his thumb. As a result, he missed the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the subsequent tour of England. This was also the time when there were talks of Saha aggravating his previous shoulder injury, adding confusion to whether he is out of the team because of a shoulder or a thumb injury.

That being said, Saha has now himself confirmed about his minimal chances of boarding the plane to Australia. In an interview to Cricbuzz, Saha was quoted, “As per the doctors, it varies from body to body as far as full recovery is concerned. Safe to say, it will take four months. Getting back on the field is not on my mind right now, my focus is to just do the things I am being told to on a daily basis.”

Saha was also vocal about his rehab at the NCA (National Cricket Academy), but still unsure about the exact time required to resume his duties on the ground. “I have just started the rehab two days back at the NCA, I haven’t been told how long I would need to be here. But yes, a stretch of three-four months can take a toll, so I will be given breaks and be with family, come back and resume the rehab, something on these lines,” he said.

India’s tour of Australia will begin in the later half of November. The series comprises of four Test matches, three ODIs and three T20Is. Sans Saha, India are likely to hunt for a back-up option for him.