'I will grab the opportunity to come up trumps in West Indies.'
'It is a different challenge for a wicketkeeper to keep in different conditions because it is a thankless job.'
India's specialist Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha said it will be difficult to fill the void created by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement from the longer version of the game as the former skipper was a proven match-winner.
"After Dhonibhai's retirement, filling his place as the wicketkeeper is not an easy task because he has had won many matches for us. He was a dominant character in world cricket," Saha told reporters after the Indian team's training session at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, on Friday.
He said he is trying to do what Dhoni did best in his own style: contribute to the team's cause.
"I am trying to do what Dhonibhai did for us... that is to win matches with contributions coming from his bat as well as by taking catches and effecting stumpings in crucial situations," he said.
The 31-year-old said whenever he gets an opportunity he seeks Dhoni’s advice.
"We always talk to each other on every possible opportunity I and Dhoni get. We talk to each other as we did in IPL and India's Australia tour. He gave me vital tips on how to keep on bouncy tracks and handle pressure while batting. Not only Dhoni, I also talk to other players as well," he added.
Replying to a query, Saha said he would try to do better with the bat on the West Indies tour.
"The team has done well in the last one year. We have done well in Australia and Sri Lanka, but my individual progress could have been better and I will grab the opportunity to come up trumps in West Indies."
Asked how he plans to cement his place in the team in the absence of Dhoni, he replied: "I will try to make a good 70-odd runs to help the team gain advantage over the opposition. If I am successful it will be good for me and the side."
Replying to another question, Saha said, “I like batting with the lower-order because scoring vital runs in crunch situations helps us put up a good total."
On the challenge of keeping wickets in different conditions and on different tracks, he said: "It is a different challenge for a wicketkeeper to keep in different conditions because it is a thankless job. If I could succeed, it would be good to me and the team," adding Dhoni always tells him to work on his natural wicketkeeping instincts.
The Bengal lad said the team will go all out to win the upcoming Test series in the West Indies and complete a hat-trick, having emerged victorious in 2006 and 2011.
"We will go into the series with the combination of Virat and Anilbhai with the intent of winning, which we had won last time around when we visited there.
"This time around as well the team will go all out to play dominating cricket and win the series."
