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In the not so distant future, India might face an issue: if Wriddhiman Saha, their specialist wicketkeeper in Tests, does not succeed or gets injured, who is the best replacement for him?KL Rahul doubling up as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the IPL has helped him jump a few places in the queue, which is led by Naman Ojha and includes Dinesh Karthik, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant. For now Saha, a specialist wicketkeeper, remains Indias first choice, as Kohli had made clear ahead of the sides departure for the Caribbean.Obviously, whenever Rahul played, he has played as an opener or as a back-up option for the opening slot. I think it is up to the team management to take a call on the batting combination, but as far as wicketkeeping goes, Saha, being a specialist keeper is always the first choice, Kohli had said in Bangalore earlier this month. Sahas batting has also improved a lot in the last few months and we can bank on him as he is a quality glovesman who can grab those half chances.Former Bengal and India wicketkeeper-batsman, Deep Dasgupta firmly backed a specialist wicketkeeper like Saha over part-time options. Especially when you are talking about Test match cricket, Id always say a specialist is better, Dasgupta told ESPNcricinfo.Mental strength is crucial to succeed in the longest format, according to Dasgupta, who had also opened the batting for India in Test cricket. T20 and one-day cricket is different, but in Test cricket, the mindset and the way you think about the game is completely different, he said. If youre looking at somebody to be a top-order batsman and keep wickets, the physical training is different. There will be matches where you need to be on the ground for four days, either keeping wickets or batting.The other important issue is whether your keeping will affect your batting or your batting will affect your keeping. If its somebody who has grown up as a wicketkeeper-batsman, he knows how to handle it. But for someone who is going to start keeping now, you dont know, and God forbid if the keeping affects batting, you lose the player as a keeper and a batsman. Thats the last thing you want, so its a very tentative call.With India set to play 13 Tests at home in the upcoming season, Sahas skills especially on turning pitches will be tested. Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Kiran More also said that a specialist keeper was the key.All wicketkeepers bat well now. You look at Parthiv [Patel] or Naman Ojha or Wriddhiman Saha, they all bat well, theyve all got fantastic domestic records and scored loads of hundreds, so I think there is no doubt about their batting credentials, More said. But when you play on such types of wickets, you need to have better wicketkeepers all the time. Why did India win the World Cup? I think its because we had a player who could bat at No. 6 or 7 and was a wicketkeeper. When you look at the teams that have won World Cups, they always had a better wicketkeeper-batsman, be it Adam Gilchrist or MS Dhoni. Thats why these countries have done well. While Sahas glovework is tidy, India may still face a problem because his batting stats have been underwhelming, despite Kohlis assessment of his improved skills. In 19 Test innings, Saha has two half-centuries and averages only 21.58, as opposed to his first-class average of 42.60. Saha isnt at the same level as Dhoni - who averaged 38.09 - as a batsman and if India play five bowlers, as Kohli has preferred to do, they could have a long tail.Saha may not be technically correct, Dasgupta, formerly Sahas senior in the Bengal side and chairman of the state selection panel, said, but he was effective.Ive known Saha since he started playing first-class cricket, or even before that, when he was playing under-22 for Bengal, Dasgupta said. He is not a very orthodox batsman, but he is very effective. His numbers in first-class cricket - he averages over 40 - are as good as any batsman around. I still remember a couple of fifties he got in Sri Lanka which were very, very crucial. He might not score 10 out of 10 in terms of beauty, but he is quite effective with the bat. I think he is good enough; you just need to keep faith in him. Knowing Wriddhiman, I know why Virat Kohli is showing that much faith in him.According to Dasgupta, whether it is Saha or Ojha or Rahul, the wicketkeeper needed to be given a long run in the Test side. We have to be very conscious in what we want in the future. I wouldnt look at part-time keepers. I wouldnt mind if someone like KL Rahul opts to be a keeper, but I dont like the tag part-time. The keepers we have in the country are all good batsmen, be it Naman or Wriddhiman. They all have very, very impressive batting numbers. So all I would like to see is these guys being given enough opportunities to figure out where they stand. Its a little unfair to say Naman isnt good enough when you have already given him one opportunity and he has done decently well. We have enough talent in the country to not look at part-time options.Saha, Ojha and Karthik are older than 30, but Dasgupta said fitness should be the priority, rather than age. Someone like a Naman or a DK [Dinesh Karthik], for that matter, who is in his early 30s, in this day and age, your age is just a number. Its about how fit you are and whether you are performing or not. And if these guys who are in their 30s are still fit enough to keep wickets and bat in Test match cricket, why not, even if its just for two or three years. If its a 50-over team, you have the Champions Trophy coming up next season, or if its 20-over cricket, you are looking at the World Cup. But in Test cricket, theres no big tournament. Youre looking at the next series. So I dont understand building a team for the future as far as Test cricket is concerned.Aaron Ness Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. 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The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Oakland AthleticsOverall: 115 Title track: 79 Ownership: 122 Coaching: 63 Players: 75 Fan relations: 110 Affordability: 34 Stadium experience: 122 Bang for the buck: 80 Change from last year: -15Is this the worst franchise in baseball, as the voters felt? Its easy to see the bad when the 60s-era stadium is on blast practically daily in the media. Then the team is just five wins from the worst record in baseball. But theres some good news in there somewhere.Whats goodWait, is there something good about this franchise right now? Honestly, its the players, even though their ranking fell to 75th. There were some finds this year, as Marcus Semien, Ryon Healy and Khris Davis could form a formidable group in the lineup next year. Young pitchers Jharel Cotton and Sean Manaea -- acquired in classic, veteran-dumping Billy Beane trades -- provide hope that the rotation can be a strength again. Win or lose, at least going to an As game is cheap (34th in affordability), and the bang for the buck potential is strong, even if the return for your buck, at the moment, is devalued (80th overall and down 41 spots).Whats badWhats not? Lew Wolff -- the worst owner in sports in a repeat performance -- has been at odds with practically everyone as he has tried to railroad his way to a new ballpark for the Athletics.dddddddddddd. To be fair, that current ballpark also ranks worst in these standings, so hes right to try to improve it. At the Coliseum, the food is terrible, the craft beer selections are mediocre, and the concourse is cramped, cement and bunker-like. In the meantime, Wolff has spent less on the players on his team than anyone else the past five years, and that has led to a gradual downturn in on-field product. There is only so much Beane can do.Whats newThere might be movement on a new ballpark! Maybe. The players are showing signs of promise. Those are the things that might move the needle in next years standings. But right now, all we see are empty parking lots -- even on free parking Tuesday! -- that lead to empty seats and, until the youth turns this team around, a worsening record that throws shade on the players (down 38 spots) and the coaching staff (down 24).Full rankings ' ' '