'When he gets more confident with the bat, you will see him developing into a batter more than a batter-'keeper.'
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com explains why Virat Kohli roots for the Indian 'keeper.
When Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from Test cricket last December, the big worry for Indian cricket was not who would take over the captaincy, but who could replace him as wicketkeeper-batsman.
Virat Kohli was always billed as the successor to Dhoni The Captain a year or so before the actual coronation. The responsibility to fill Dhoni The 'Keeper's big boots behind the stumps was entrusted to Wriddhiman Saha, though not many were convinced he would be effective with the bat.
When Dhoni retired from the long form of the game, he had played 90 Tests since making his debut in 2005, scoring 4,876 runs, at an average of 38, including six centuries and 33 fifties.
Saha may not set stadiums afire with his hitting like the senior pro from Ranchi, but he is not one give his wicket away easily, as he revealed scoring two half-centuries in Sri Lanka in August.
Saha's dogged 56 in the second Test in Colombo gave India the first innings lead of 87. That knock came on the heels of his 60 in the first Test in Galle.
A big fan of Saha, Kohli believes the Bengal cricketer deserves a long run in India's Test side.
Saha, who made his Test debut in 2010, played just three Tests in five years during the Dhoni era, but is a key player in Kohli's scheme of things.
"I really like his attitude," the skipper said of the 'keeper. "He is a very hardworking cricketer. He is willing to do anything the team requires. He is a brilliant 'keeper and very gutsy with the bat."
Kohli pointed to Wriddhi Saha's record in domestic cricket, where he averages around 43, with a tally of 4,558 runs in 78 games.
"He gets a lot of runs in pressure situations. He can handle a pressure situation well."
"He is still finding his feet in Test cricket," the captain felt. "He is confident of his 'keeping, I am sure of that. But when he becomes confident of his batting, with the amount of runs he scores and the impact he makes, he will be that sort of perfect No 6, No.7 at times for us."
"He can handle every sort of condition and attack," Kohli added. "He has the sort of belief in him. When he gets more confident with the bat you will see him developing into a batter (batsman) more than a batter-'keeper."
