Ashwin most tough to keep, Saha says
‘LANKA SERIES NO PREPARATION FOR TOUGH SOUTH AFRICA TOUR’
ndia wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha does not feel the Sri Lanka series, starting from Thursday, will help in preparing for the upcoming South Africa tour early next year.
India blanked a hapless Sri Lanka in their own lair 9-0 across all formats in August and the Dinesh Chandimalled side are not expected to wreak havoc here as well.
India have been near-invincible at home in recent times and in the upcoming three Tests, three ODIs and three T20s, they are also expected to win convincingly.
Cheteshwar Pujara recently said that the series would give him a “good opportunity” to prepare for the tough assignment ahead.
Saha, though, said yesterday that every series is a challenge on its own and they cannot think of South Africa just yet.
“Every Test is a challenge. Sri Lanka series is not a preparation for South Africa. If we do well here, then we can think of South Africa,” Saha told reporters on the sidelines of India’s first practice session at the Eden Gardens here.
India will play three Tests, six ODIs and three T20 internationals against the Proteas. The first Test is on January 5 in Cape Town.
Asked about fatigue of the players coming into the series after playing against the Aussies in ODIs and T20s and also in the Ranji Trophy, Saha said: “In professional cricket everyone gets fatigued. The challenge is to recover well by exercises such as stretching. Good sleep at night is the most important, then strength training session ... everything combined ... it works.”
More variation
Saha said Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami are the toughest to keep against while among the spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin is way ahead with his variety of deliveries.
“Ishant and Shami are the toughest to keep against as the ball wobbles after crossing the wicket. It gets tough to catch for a keeper. In Umesh (Yadav) and Bhuvi’s (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) case, this does not happen a lot as they are swing bowlers.
“Ashwin is ahead among the spinners as far as keeping difficulty is concerned. Ashwin has more variation than Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and Kuldeep (Yadav) ... so it is tougher,” Saha said.
Quizzed if the variety among the Indian tweakers makes Saha’s job difficult as a keeper, the 33-year-old said: “Reading the hand is 50 per cent job done. After that, bounce of the wicket and whether it is turning or not matters. The challenge is to catch all the balls.”