Wriddhiman Saha has taken up a role as Tripura’s player-cum-mentor for the upcoming domestic season. The India international had told Sportstar a couple of days ago that he would travel to Agartala to meet the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) officials.
In the presence of TCA office-bearers, Saha inked the agreement with the new team. After skipping the Ranji Trophy for Bengal, Saha met Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya last week and formally obtained a No Objection Certificate from the State association.
Saha has represented Bengal for more than a decade. However, after the Bengal squad for the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season knockouts was announced by the CAB, Saha had indicated to Dalmiya that he might no longer play for Bengal. He was upset with comments by a senior CAB official, who had raised questions over Saha’s commitment after his decision to skip the group stage of the Ranji Trophy due to personal reasons. He even exited the Bengal team's WhatsApp group, despite coach Arun Lal having a word with the India international.
While Saha admitted it was difficult to part ways with Bengal, he has set targets for his new stint. "I want to contribute to Tripura's success and ensure they do well. And in terms of the team goal, our aim will be to build on the success that Tripura enjoyed in domestic cricket in the recent past and build on it," Saha said.
Last season, Tripura had reached the knockouts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the TCA officials are hopeful that Saha's inclusion will boost the young team.
Even though both parties remained tight-lipped on the matter, several sources indicate that the association has offered a Rs 1.40 crore (approximately) yearly package to Saha.
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