After Wriddhiman Saha decided to stick to his decision of not playing for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2022 knockouts, the team has called up uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Shakir Habib Gandhi. According to a report carried out on Sportskeeda, Saha was left unconvinced to reunite with his state team.
A couple of weeks ago, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) the India wicketkeeper in the states’ Ranji side for the quarterfinal clash against Jharkhand in Bengaluru from June 6. However, Saha expressed his unwillingness to play in the domestic tournament. It was learned that he went on to claim a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the association to represent other states.
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According to Sportstar, Saha’s wife, Romi Mitra, revealed that the wicketkeeper batter was hurt by a CAB official’s statement. His commitment to Bengal cricket was questioned by CAB joint secretary Debabrata Das after the 37-year-old decided to skip the league stage games.
An annoyed Saha spoke with CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, seeking NOC to leave Bengal, news agency PTI had reported.
“He is not interested in playing for Bengal anymore and sought a NOC. He is very annoyed with one CAB office-bearer (joint secretary Debabrata Das) who has apparently questioned his commitment. He wants a public apology,” PTI quoted a source as saying.
Who is Shakir Habib Gandhi?
Gandhi featured in the Bengal squad that registered three consecutive victories in the league stage, earlier this year in February-March. However, the youngster couldn’t find a spot in the playing XI for the second phase. The 22-year-old will likely be a second-choice pick behind 19-year-old Abishek Porel. The latter had scored 185 runs at an average of 37 in the three games.
No replacement for Mohammed Shami
The CAB hasn’t named any replacement for seasoned pacer Mohammed Shami who is set to travel to the UK with the Indian squad for the fifth Test against England in Birmingham. He wasn’t named for the South Africa T20Is as the BCCI decided to rest him after a hectic IPL 2022 schedule. The right-arm quick represented the Gujarat Titans. Under the leadership of Hardik Pandya team clinched its maiden title in the debut season.
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