India in Sri Lanka: Wriddhiman Saha takes first steps towards filling MS Dhoni's shoes

India were in the middle of an audacious chase of 364 against Australia on the final day at Adelaide, when Wriddhiman Saha charged Nathan Lyon, took an ugly hoick at the ball, and was bowled for 13. India lost the Test by 48 runs. Against Sri Lanka in Galle, India had slumped 60 for 5. Saha was the last recognised batsman and facing Rangana Herath, who had already authored a slow-motion demolition of India’s top order. Herath tossed the ball up and Saha could not resist. He was drawn out of his crease and stumped by some distance for two. [caption id=“attachment_2402762” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  When he brought up his 50 with a single, Saha had batted for almost three hours. AFP[/caption] India lost the Test by 63 runs. While Virat Kohli has replaced MS Dhoni as Test captain, it became Saha’s arguably nerve-wracking task to replace Dhoni with the keeping and batting gloves. So far, the second has proved much harder to achieve than the first. However, on Friday at the P Sara Oval, Saha did his best Dhoni impression to push India’s score just shy of 400 when at one time it looked like India would be bowled out for under 350. Saha’s good work actually began on Thursday evening, when he added 52 with Rohit Sharma for the sixth wicket. He still retained his attacking instincts – he came down the wicket to Herath the sixth ball he faced – but he married it with resolute defence and the willingness to leave the ball outside off-stump. R Ashwin’s dismissal in the third over on the second morning left India 321 for 7 but Amit Mishra, hailed by Virat Kohli as the only player to bat with the right approach in Galle, proved to be a willing ally for Saha. Saha did benefit from some luck. Dhamika Prasad brushed Saha’s offstump in the first over of the day but the bails refused to budge. Then, the over after Ashwin lost his wicket, Saha charged Prasad and had another of those wild swings that cost him in Galle and Adelaide. This though, the Cricket Gods were on his side. Replays could not conclusively establish that the inside edge carried to the keeper. He was on 19 at the time, with 12 of his runs having come from boundaries. That reprieve seemed to snap a switch into place in Saha’s brain and he cut out the agricultural heaves after that. By the time he was out LBW to Herath, 25 of the 37 runs he had added to his score after his attempted slog, had come from singles and twos as he marshalled the tail with the skill of a 50-Test veteran. Saha added 46 runs with Mishra for the eight wicket and a further 19 with Ishant Sharma for the ninth wicket. He had come in with India 267 for 5 and departed with his team rather more comfortably placed at 386 for 9. When he brought up his 50 with a single to long-on, Saha had batted for almost three hours. In doing so, he showed a willingness to be patient and the ability to adapt to the situation. “When tailenders come in, I try and play four balls and let them play just two balls [in an over],” Saha told Sony Six after the day’s play. I keep the strike as much as I can. If I don’t score runs, that’s fine, as long as I don’t lose my wicket. I was waiting for the loose balls." While Dhoni is more renowned for his ability to blitz a bowling attack, he could also knuckle down and scrap when the need arose in Test cricket. Saha is no Dhoni, of course. But he is a more orthodox batsman and possesses a better technique than his predecessor. With Kohli and team director Ravi Shastri making no secret of their desire for attacking cricket, Saha becomes a vital cog in that endeavour. If he can show the sort of discipline he demonstrated today on a consistent basis, he could provide the backstop for a top-order slide that this team desperately needs if it is to succeed with its current strategy.