Dubai: A query about the top two hits on YouTube or social media about the ongoing fiery India-Australia series will in all probability throw up the two outstanding catches taken by the Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
The flying effort from in front of a bemused Virat Kohli at first slip to dismiss Steve O’Keefe in Pune had everyone talking about it till the next one came in Bengaluru — where Saha dived parallel to the ground to pick Mathew Wade’s offering inches off the ground as the hosts dramatically clinched the second Test.
Saha, the soft-spoken diminutive keeper may have slipped into Dhoni’s gloves since late 2014 ever since the latter retired from Test cricket, but these two outstanding efforts have almost overnight earned him the star billing and the tag of being one of the best in the business. Social media went on an overdrive, with nicknames like the ‘Superman,’ ‘Flying Saha’ doing the rounds — a phenomenon which prompted the suppliers of his cricketing equipment to come up with an unique idea.
B. Dasgupta & Sons, the well known cricket equipment suppliers from Saha’s city Kolkata, has launched a pair of ‘Superman’ gloves — a custom-made product branded after Saha which will bear his autograph.
Deep Dasgupta, former Indian Test wicketkeeper-turned-commentator, handed over the first pair of ‘Superman’ gloves at the outlet last week — a prized pair which will be part of Saha’s kit when the third Test gets underway in Ranchi from Thursday.
“The idea behind creating the brand is to certainly acknowledge the consistency in his performance in international cricket. After Sourav Ganguly, no other cricketer from Bengal has been able to hold his own in the Indian team for so long,” Somnath Dasgupta, owner and leading retailer for SS Ton cricket equipment in eastern India, told Gulf News during a chat.
While it may take a little time for ‘Superman’ brand of gloves to be out for public sales, Dasgupta revealed that he had already created a pair for the stumper on the eve of India-Australia series. “His (Saha’s) palms are a shade smaller for a wicketkeeper, hence we got SS to tailor his gloves in such a way that the collection becomes easy for him. It was just a technical output from our side on his suggestion, little did we know that he will go on to create such wonders with it,” he said.
It’s not everyday that an Indian wicketkeeper gets gloves branded after him, the only precedent being that of Syed Kirmani.
Gushing about Saha’s current form, Deep Dasgupta said over phone: “There is no doubt that Saha is one of the best wicketkeepers in the game today. What brought him so far is his patience and not losing faith in his abilities. (Quinton) de Kock had taken some brilliant catches last season, but Saha has certainly left him in the shade.”
For someone who had to wait for nearly five years between his first Test (2010) and the second one, Saha has shown the ability and resilience to acquit himself well while slipping his hands into the giant gloves of Dhoni, a colossus of Indian cricket. There is often the odd discussion in the media about the possible successor of the Test wicketkeeper’s mantle from Saha, who is no spring chicken at 32 years.
As of now, it seems that the search can wait ...
