Century Vs West Indies Boosted Confidence, Says Eden Gardens' Man of Match Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha, who scored crucial half-centuries in both innings of Kolkata Test against New Zealand, said his 104-run knock against the West Indies at Gros Islet provided a fillip to his international career.

Saha, Man of the Match in the Eden Gardens Test, hopes to build on his Test credentials during India's long home season ahead.

"The West Indies hundred boosted my confidence, but I didn't score much in Kanpur, that's why I took my time in the initial few balls," Saha said, who scored fifties in both innings on a newly-laid Kolkata wicket that has dual bounce and pace.

"I was thinking about defending the good balls and hitting the bad balls," Saha said in a post-match chat with Ravi Shastri.

Virat Kohli-led India defeated New Zealand by 178 runs at Eden Gardens to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. With this, India displaced Pakistan as the World No. 1 Test team.

Saha, who was unbeaten in both innings, became only the second wicket-keeper from any country (after West Indies' Gerry Alexander) to make two unbeaten half-centuries in a Test.

Wriddhiman Saha also became the fifth Indian batsmen after VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Bapu Nadkarni to make two unbeaten 50-plus scores in a Test.

Wriddhiman Saha best keeper in India: Virat Kohli

Saha has won a lot of praise from captain Virat Kohli for his tidy glovework and gritty batting under pressure.

Saha's wicket-keeping proved to be a key factor in India's series win against Sri Lanka and South Africa last year, where he effected more than 10 dismissals in both the series. In 2016, Saha has been involved in 13 dismissals in six matches.

"I just did my job behind the stumps, nothing much. I just keep watching the ball till the last and soft hands, that's it," Saha said. Kohli called Saha the "best keeper in the country."

Saha also said he was under no pressure playing in front of his home crowd, as it motivated him to do his best.

"I'm very happy for winning the series and getting my first Man of the Match," Saha says, adding: "My teammates and the crowd supported me a lot. There wasn't much pressure," he concluded.