Wriddhiman Saha had already made up his mind to retire from cricket when he casually went to the Eden Gardens this June. But after he returned from a meeting meant to amicably resolve differences with certain factions within the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which had led to his departure to Tripura for two seasons, Saha had a change of mind.
The reason: Sourav Ganguly. The former India captain had convinced Saha to stay on so that he could end his career with Bengal. And so, Saha, who has had plenty of taping around his fingers and strapping around his hamstring and pain-relief patches on his back, decided to continue with the team's physio on speed dial to be able to help him fight through another season.
"You can say it was because of emotional attachment," he says as he sits down for a chat on the opening day of Bengal's fourth-round Ranji fixture against Karnataka in Bengaluru. "I wasn't going to play this year but Sourav Ganguly and my wife pushed me to play and finish with Bengal after two seasons with Tripura."
When he gave his nod to play, Saha made it clear he won't be available for the white-ball leg of the domestic season. He knew he wouldn't last the rigours of another full season. It was also partly influenced by his desire to have his spot taken by someone else, because he'd already informed his previous IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans, he wasn't going to play in the tournament anymore.
As it turns out, one of the direct beneficiaries of Saha's exit (from when he moved to Tripura) has been Abishek Porel, who has flourished so much over the past year across formats that Delhi Capitals considered him worthy of being retained. For Saha, a mentor to the young group of wicketkeepers across the country, there couldn't have been a better validation.
"I've been pushing myself for the last year. But because of my body condition and injuries, I won't be able to play for the full season," he says. "That's why I chose the most vital format - Ranji Trophy. It will be tough [to carry on] but I will play and hopefully we qualify. If we do, I will play till the end of the season, else I'll finish off at Eden Gardens."
Saha laughs when asked if the decision to contemplate retirement was tough. "It was very easy," he replies spontaneously. "I was already prepared that I won't play this year. But when my wife and Sourav Ganguly pushed me, I couldn't refuse."
Still considered among the best wicketkeepers in India, perhaps even around the world, Saha seems at peace with his decision. He's fully happy with the way his career has panned out, even though his career coincided at different times with two mavericks: MS Dhoni in the early years and Rishabh Pant in the later. Has he ever considered himself unlucky?
"No, I don't think so," he says. "There are so many of them who didn't play despite toiling so hard. Amol Muzumdar, Padmakar Shivalkar sir. I feel fortunate and proud to have played 40 Tests for India."
As he looks ahead, Saha is open to opportunities in coaching and mentoring. He's clear the first rights will be with Bengal. "Not yet [thought of the immediate future], but if I get an offer from another state or Bengal, I will think about it," he laughs. "If not, family life (laughs). I have been playing cricket since childhood. I haven't done anything else. I want to share as much knowledge as I have in cricket. I've already started doing that at a couple of academies back home."
Saha ended his Test career with 1353 runs in 56 innings at an average of 29.41, with three centuries and six half-centuries. Arguably, his finest moment on home turf when he hit unbeaten half-centuries in both innings to help India beat New Zealand in 2016. Saha admits "maybe I could've done more" with the bat, but insists his career graph was largely a reflection of his emphasis on being a wicketkeeper first and a batter next.
"When I started, I was a wicketkeeper. I knew I could never be as good as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli," he says. "I wanted to earn a name in what I did from childhood - that's why I put more emphasis on wicketkeeping."
He grew up working with Kiran More, Saba Karim and Deep Dasgupta. Chats with Dhoni over the years, and occasional interactions with Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy fueled his pursuits of being his best version. As a seasoned professional, Saha says he's happy to chat with young keepers and help them.
"I've spoken to keepers from the women's team, we keep talking to each other," he says. "Last IPL, Dhruv Jurel spoke to me. Rishabh [Pant] has done it all along when we played together. The understanding was good, he used to share his experiences, I used to give him as much input as possible."
As Saha reflects on his career, he's happy he continued to play for three more years despite being told in late 2021 by then coach Rahul Dravid that the Indian team were moving on from him.
"That door got closed, but I knew domestic, and IPL was still there," he says. "It wasn't like I got demoralised because of that. I've played now for three-four years since that. Why did I start playing? Because I like it. Last year, I'd stopped liking the game and planned to leave. After this season, I'm moving on.
"Hopefully we can make the final. If not, I'll finish off at Eden Gardens."