An article on Wriddhiman Saha and Anushtup Majumdar

This is an article published in Times of India (21st February, 2011)

Kolkata: Anushtup Majumdar was given a late start this season, picked only for Bengal’s last Elite Group B match in the Ranji Trophy against Baroda. He set out to make up for lost time, helping himself to 111 to set up a big victory, and then carried that form into the Duleep Trophy to hit a couple of centuries and a fifty in the five innings he got.

Wriddhiman Saha left mid-season for Team India duties Down Under and came back to take his game a notch or two higher as he rejoined domestic action in the Duleep semifinal.

The two joined forces in the final at Indore, to stitch together 59 crucial runs that had East Zone recovering from a precarious 48 for 3 and generating the momentum that would take them to a massive victory over Central and their maiden Duleep Trophy triumph.

At the Eden Gardens on Monday, the two got together for an unbroken 190-run association that took the early wobbles in the stride and propelled Bengal to a comfortable victory over Orissa in the East Zone Vijay Hazare Trophy.

If you noticed the two were reveling in each others company, they might tell you it’s nothing new.

“We been doing this for Bengal since our under-19 days, and so often that we have developed a fine understanding while in the middle,” said Majumdar, who finished on an unbeaten 100 on Monday. “Even in club matches for Customs, Kalighat or Mohun Bagan,” added Saha. “We know each other’s strengths and how we run between wickets. All these helped today too.”

When they came together at 23 for 3, the situation was a trifle grim. What roadmap did they draw? “We didn’t get too far with the planning really, just told each other that we wouldn’t let them get on top of us. We decided to play our natural game because there was still a lot of batting to come,” responded Saha, who certainly has taken big strides as a wicketkeeper too.

Both have a healthy respect for each other’s talent. “Anushtup has been doing well over last couple of seasons. This season he has been more consistent. He has looked more compact and his shot selection is much better,” observed Saha. Majumdar returns the compliment with: “Wriddhi played really well today and that was very reassuring. I could play my game more freely,” he said, picking the his unbeaten 102 in the Duleep quarterfinals as the most satisfying innings of the season. “We were still some runs from the crucial lead and my innings made a difference,” he said.

Saha, of course, scored 170 in the final as East made history.

Both are in rich vein of form. Together, they are irrepressible.