Wriddhiman Saha lashes out at Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid for double standards after Test snub

India wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha has slammed Board of Control for India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and head coach Rahul Dravid after being dropped from the team. Saha has been dropped from the 18-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home. The Siliguri-born has played 40 games for the team since making his debut against South Africa in 2010.

Since then, he has amassed 1353 runs, averaging 29.41 with three hundred and six fifties. He was the preferred keeper for the team before Rishabh Pant rose during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pant scored two fifties which proved vital for the team. After this, the left-hander became the preferred keeper in the team. Meanwhile, the right-hander has revealed that he was asked to consider retirement by Rahul Dravid. He also added that Sourav Ganguly had assured him that he need not to worry about anything till he is the BCCI President. However, sudden snub, despite scoring a 50 in the last game he played, has left him shattered. He informed that team management has told him that he will not be considered for selection going forward.

''When I hit an unbeaten 61 taking a pain-killer in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur last November, Dada (as Sourav was referred to by Bengal players) congratulated me over Whatsapp.

''He even mentioned that I should not worry about anything so long as he is at the helm of the BCCI. Such a message from the board president really boosted my confidence. But I failed to understand why everything changed so fast,'' he added.

'The team management had told me that I would not be considered henceforth. I could not tell this so long as I was part of the India team setup,'' an explosive Wriddhiman told media persons on Saturday.

''Even coach Rahul Dravid suggested that I think about taking retirement,'' he spilled the beans on classified conversations with the head coach.

India have included KS Bharat as the second wicketkeeper in the Test squad against Sri Lanka