India vs Bangladesh: Wriddhiman Saha says staying in positive frame of mind helped him during injury layoff

Comebacks from serious injuries are never easy for athletes but 35-year-old Wriddhiman Saha has done it in an impressive way. He made his return to international cricket recently during the Test series against South Africa after missing the action for close to 22 months due to injury.

It was a difficult time for Saha on the sidelines considering the seriousness of his shoulder injury, but the wicket-keeper remained positive and concentrated on his rehab to make a successful return.

File image of Wriddhiman Saha. AFP

"Of course when you are out of the side, it’s always difficult to return to limelight. But I always stayed positive during my rehab. I never thought about what would happen next. I just concentrated on my rehab and training," Saha was quoted saying to The Indian Express during an interview.

Saha was named in the squad for the West Indies series but couldn't get into the playing XI because the team management decided to stick with Rishabh Pant. He eventually made a comeback in the home Test series against South Africa. Ahead of the same series, skipper Virat Kohli also called Saha as the "best wicket-keeper in the world".

He has continued to be India's first choice wicket-keeper at home, playing in the first Test against Bangladesh in Indore. With the first match of the series over, the action will now shift to Kolkata where both teams will play a day-night Test for the first time.

Saha was among the first Indian cricketers to get a taste of pink ball cricket when he played in the CAB Super League final back in 2016. Saha said wicket-keeping under lights to a pink ball will be challenging, but the trick is to make the right adjustments during the game.

"Under lights the ball will move and all our fast bowlers clock 140kph or more. When I played the CAB Super League final, picking the pink ball under lights was a tad difficult after it got old. You can’t eliminate the problem in two days’ practice. You have to adapt during the game," Saha said.