Kolkata: Believed to be a minor thumb injury till now, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha is actually nursing a career-threatening shoulder problem caused by a “bungled” rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy, a top BCCI official has claimed.
It is learnt that Saha will have to undergo a surgery in the UK next month and that might rule him out of the tour of Australia later this year. “Wriddhiman’s rehabilitation has been a complete goof up. The NCA physio has bungled it big time. Now only a surgery can put him back on track. Once he is done with surgery, he will not touch the bat for at least two months and then rehab will start,” a senior BCCI official said on Wednesday.
Saha has been out of action, citing a thumb injury sustained during this year’s IPL, but it has now come to light that the problem is much bigger than what was initially assessed. He was not picked for the upcoming Test series against England but the Board did not reveal the full extent of his fitness problems. A shoulder surgery would effectively mean that he will also miss India’s tour of Australia.
Saha, on his Twitter page, had recently posted that he was “going through a bad phase” but expects to come back strong. The BCCI official admitted that the 33-year-old Bengal stumper had long recovered from thumb fracture sustained during IPL.
“Wriddhi first sustained a shoulder injury during the tour of South Africa while taking a catch. But it was a niggle that didn’t bother him. He left SA tour because of hamstring trouble and not shoulder pain though,” the official claimed.
