India head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday said he wasn't hurt by Wriddhiman Saha's comments to the media about the private conversation he had with him regarding the wicketkeeper-batter's future after the South Africa series.
After Saha was dropped from the squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka by the All-India Senior Selection Committee headed by Chetan Sharma, the Bengal cricketer told Sportstar he was informed of the decision immediately after the Cape Town Test in January.
Dravid, after India completed a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series against the West Indies, addressed the media, saying he felt Saha deserved to know the truth. He said, "I am not hurt at all because I have deep respect for Saha's achievements and contribution to Indian cricket. I think he deserved honesty and clarity. I did not want him to learn about it from the media."
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Dravid added, "I don't expect players to agree with everything I have to say about them or like me. That's not how it works and you don't brush it under the carpet. It is natural for players to get upset or feel hurt. With Rishabh Pant having established himself as the No. 1 wicketkeeper, the idea was to groom a younger 'keeper. This doesn't change my feelings for Wriddhi. The easiest way for me is to not having these chats with the players but that's not who I am. At some stage, hopefully they will be able at least respect the fact that I was able to front up and have these conversations."
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly while leaving the Eden Gardens in Kolkata after the conclusion of the third T20I against the West Indies refused to comment further on Saha's exclusion. "What will I say? It is all up to the selectors," he said.
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