Wriddhiman Saha enters coaching arena as Bengal eyes him for U-23 role

New Delhi: Six months into retirement from competitive cricket, one of India’s finest wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha is all set to enter the coaching arena with Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) showing interest in hiring him as the head coach of U-23 state team.

Saha, 40, retired from first-class cricket in January this year at the end of Bengal’s league stage campaign in the Ranji Trophy.

It is understood that former Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla will continue as the head coach of the senior team while former off-spinner Saurashis Lahiri will coach the U-19 team.

“The CAB brass will be zeroing in on all the candidates for various teams by next week. Obviously, Wriddhi has been sounded out and a final decision will be taken next week. Apart from Sourav Ganguly and Pankaj Roy, he is the biggest name from Bengal with 40 Tests,” a senior CAB source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

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“His experience of playing top level cricket for so long will only help the Gen-Next of Bengal cricket. Wriddhi already runs a chain of coaching centres and he has been a very hands on coach for juniors. He is passionate about coaching. Hopefully, he will be ready,” the source said.

While there is not much precedence in Bengal cricket about players being drafted into the coaching system immediately after retirement but Saha’s case is slightly different considering his stature in state cricket.

The Bengal U-23 side till last season was being coached by former India opener Pranab Roy, son of legendary late Pankaj Roy.

Many people in Bengal circuit believe that Saha is cut out to become a good coach. His experience with U-23 squad could prove to be handy if he joins any IPL team in future or as a specialist coach at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

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It’s Dahiya vs Sarandeep for Delhi men’s Ranji coach job

Delhi Ranji team’s head coach job is expected to be a two-way battle between former India players Sarandeep Singh and Vijay Dahiya, both of whom have applied for the post.

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) is conducting interviews for support staffs, selectors for various age group (U-16, U-19, U-23) along with senior teams.

Sarandeep is the current Delhi head coach while Dahiya has handled the state team on a couple occasions in the past. The former India stumper is an assistant coach with Lucknow Super Giants and has also coached the Uttar Pradesh Ranji team.

“There are three candidates in the running. Sarandeep, who is our current head coach and Dahiya, who has extensive coaching experience have both appeared for interviews. The third strong candidate is former Delhi keeper Rajiv Vinayak,” a senior DDCA official privy to developments said.