Is SAHA the best keeper amongst the ones playing for the test playing nations?

[Khota]

1 hour ago, sandeep said:

You think QDK can match Saha's proficiency keeping to spin?  I seriously doubt it.  QDK is good and a much better batsman - but at best, he maybe edges Saha just barely in terms of keeping to pace - and I don't think he does, but that's about the most you can claim - while in the spin department the gap is huge.  

Not in spin. He has to keep for Tahir and that is adequate. Saha has the potential to be the best in the world but he needs his chances. As a matter of fact India has three really good keepers and Dhoni is not one of them.

[Vilander]

Not sure if we saw the same player bairstow is very good keeper against pace. Saha i think is better on spin.

[express bowling]

13 hours ago, Stumped said:

I quite clearly recall at least 2 dropped catches, both in the first innings of the series if I'm correct, and a missed stumping.

 

 

Saha was already carrying a niggle and had to withdraw after 2 tests in that series.  That England series was his worst as a keeper as a result of that injury.

[express bowling]

14 hours ago, Vilander said:

Saha i think is better on spin.

Saha is known to be really good against pacers and developing against spinners.

[Vilander]

5 hours ago, express bowling said:

Saha is known to be really good against pacers and developing against spinners.

I have seen spectacular spin catches like the horizontal flying one from Saha prettu good against spin, bairstow seems to take more against pace may its got to do with Clouderson and Barbie being better bowlers but yeah.

[abc]

On 20/08/2017 at 3:53 PM, Vilander said:

I have seen spectacular spin catches like the horizontal flying one from Saha prettu good against spin, bairstow seems to take more against pace may its got to do with Clouderson and Barbie being better bowlers but yeah.

Wicketkeeping statistics are currently at a very primitive stage and therefore quite naive and sometimes misleading. The West Indies match where Saha equalled the Indian record for most catches in an innings was not an outstanding display of keeping skills. It was adequate, and the inept batting combined with competent bowling generated a lot of regulation chances, leading to a productive haul. The match where Barstow set the English record is another such example, with a very green pitch generating plenty of nicks through to the keeper.

By contrast, Sara's display in the recently concluded Sri Lanka series, particularly the 2nd test, was a masterclass, even though he does not have a huge tally to show for it. When the pitch misbehaves that much, batsmen are not going to give thin deflections to be gobbled up. The running + flying effort to take the Kusal Mendis catch that was headed for no-man's-land is a case in point. Then there is the Angelo Mathews catch, having to take it a huge deflection that went up to shoulder height when it pitched on a not so short length. And then there are the catches (one of AB de Villiers, the other of Wade) where Saha compensated for the absence of forward short leg. I think there is no keeper who can do that in world cricket at the moment.

 

 

[abc]

To add to my previous comment, such special wicketkeeping talents only appear once a sporting generation (by which I mean the typical span of time during which a sportsman is at the top level, i.e. ~ 10 yrs). England had James Foster, whose talent was wasted because the management was not confident enough in his batting - Chris Read came close, but not the real deal.

Here are some teasers of Foster:

 

Imagine what might have been had the English management had more vision.

 

My advice to cricket fans would be to enjoy high quality international footage of Saha while he is still there. Sooner or later, he will be replaced in the India team by some incompetent keeper who will score maybe 10 more runs on average while batting, while gifting second lives left right and centre to opposition batsmen (he will also, like Dhoni before him, typically contrive to make it look as though the ball really was in no-man's-land, as opposed to being a half-chance - for a really good keeper more like 80 percent chance)

[mancalledsting]

Shame dhoni wasn't dropped from test side in 2011- I feel saha's batting would have developed much better if introduced to team then- remember him playing a decent knock on Adelaide when rest of team was flopping. Although dhoni was a good test batsmen in Indian conditions. 

[sandeep]

1 hour ago, mancalledsting said:

remember him playing a decent knock on Adelaide when rest of team was flopping

Not the case.  He slogged 2 boundaries off of Lyon and then got stumped like a tailender.   Another 20-odd runs from him and we could have won that test.  

[mancalledsting]

2 hours ago, sandeep said:

Not the case.  He slogged 2 boundaries off of Lyon and then got stumped like a tailender.   Another 20-odd runs from him and we could have won that test.  

Easy there big fella, I was referring to our 2011 series in Australia- not 2014. 

[Laaloo]

Best we've had at least in the 21st century by a land slide