Still rate 35 at Adelaide above my IPL century: Wriddhiman Saha

New Delhi He has been the focus of attention after a magnificent hundred in the IPL final but Wriddhiman Saha rates a longforgotten 35run Test knock in Australia higher than his latest featAlthough the context was completely different but I would rate the innings of 35 in the Adelaide Test and a century stand for the sixth wicket with Virat Kohli closer to my heart Saha who turned up for the IPL runnersup Kings XI Punjab told PTI in an interviewI am proud of the century in IPL final but that was a Test match Virat was batting brilliantly and I could support him in his bid for the maiden Test hundred the reticent wicketkeeperbatsman saidRyan Harris Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle bowled during that phase I played 94 balls and it was my second Test match Till I got out I wasnt uncomfortable against pace and swing which gave me confidence that I can play at the highest level This IPL century would have tasted sweeter but need to accept that KKR collectively batted better than us We could never stop them from maintaining that runrate added the 29yearold Bengal stumperSaha also revealed how he dealt with Sunil Narine against whom he got four out of his eight sixes Since I was playing Narine for the first time I decided that I wont try to pick him from his hand Rather I decided to stay on the backfoot and wait for that extra split second so that ball does what it intends to do Rocking back helped me execute those slog pulls effectively the glovesman explainedDoes 362 runs in this IPL with a healthy 32 plus average and 145 plus strikerate make him a batsmankeeper Saha responded emphatically Absolutely not I am a specialist wicketkeeper whose job is to also do well with the bat Keeping was is and will remain the topmost priorityFor example in this upcoming tour of Bangladesh I will not bat higher than No 6 or No 7 I am practical about the fact I wont bat before Ajinkya Rahane Cheteshwar Pujara or Suresh Raina So I would rather see myself as a keeperbatsman than other way round said Saha who has played two Tests and three ODIs apart from 60 firstclass 84 List A and 105 Twenty20 matchesDid he personally believe that he could score a century off 50 balls the normally shy Saha answeredIf you look at the domestic scoresheets I have had lot of innings in List A and T20s where I have scored at a strikerate in excess of 140 If I get some time to settle down I know I have the range to hit the big shots I have the strength to clear any boundary in the worldHe admits that the switch to Kings XI Punjab did help him a lot as he got more chances Look it was natural that with MS Dhoni around in CSK I would have limited opportunities Also I didnt keep for CSK which I am doing here at KXIP The more opportunities you get more is your chance to succeed and strive for consistency The century in the final was not just a oneday thing I was playing such knocks including 54 off 26 against Sunrisers This grabbed attention as the stage was big and it was a ton said the boy from SiliguriTalk about the tour of England where he will again be Dhonis understudy he doesnt want to look too far ahead There will be two practice games and MS will be coming back from a break Therefore he would like some serious matchpractice before the first Test I am expecting to play one of the two firstclass matches Hopefully I will do well and keep myself ready he said in a matteroffact mannerHe has been flooded with calls since the night of IPL final and the 29yearold says that he is not good with calls If you get so many calls in a day and spend so much time talking on your cellphone its not a great thing It can affect your health So I try to keep my telephonic conversations to the minimum Also I want to spend some time with my wife and little daughter AnviSahas next cricketing assignment is on Saturday when he would turn up for his club Mohun Bagan in the InterClub T20 tournament for the J C Mukherjee trophy Isnt there a possibility of injury playing these odd club matches before an international tour he replied Its playing club cricket that I have reached this level How can I ignore that The Shambazar Kalighat Mohun Bagan made me what I am today If I am free and can serve my club I am not the one who would back away citing international tours