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The crowd gathered at the parking lot of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pushed and shoved as the Rajasthan Royals team bus came to a standstill. With the players streaming out in a file for their practice session on the eve of their clash against the Mumbai Indians, the growing group of onlookers burst into load chants at the sight of Yusuf Pathan. Walking a couple of strides behind the figure that has captured the imagination of the country, Naman Ojha slipped in unnoticed.
Although Yusuf's explosive batting style remains the big talking point for both the opposition and the paying public, Ojha has gone about his business without the flamboyance that usually surrounds a leading run-getter. Currently the third highest top-scorer behind only Jacques Kallis (493) and Sachin Tendulkar (423) Ojha has amassed 352 runs from 11 games at a stunning average of 39.11 runs/innings.
It was Graeme Smith's injury that gave Ojha the opportunity to prove his worth as an opener, and the Madhya Pradesh batsman demonstrated his skills against the new ball with a Man-of-the-Match award while leading Rajasthan to victory with a 49-ball 80 against Chennai in Ahmedabad.
The Chennai attack brought the best out of Ojha once again in what is widely considered the match of the tournament, where his unbeaten 94 (off 55 balls) nearly helped Rajasthan chase down a record target of 247. One of the biggest finds of the season, Ojha has set the stage on fire in an unusually quiet, yet effective, way.
Latest in a line
Ojha is the latest in a long list of recruits to be taken under captain and mentor Shane Warne's wings. Whether it is manufacturing finished products like Yusuf and Ravindra Jadeja and making them ready for national selection, or making players like Ojha, Sumit Narwal and Siddharth Trivedi household names, the former Australian skipper credits the success of the domestic youngsters to the system in his franchise.
"For us, it isn't just about giving opportunities to the youngsters, it's a process stretched over a 12-month period. Our process of identifying talent begins a lot earlier than most. Thankfully it has clicked with all of them," Warne said.
The youngsters in the Mumbai side, on the other hand, have failed to deliver in two successive matches, causing the group leaders to postpone their entry into the semi-finals. Another loss will force Sachin Tendulkar's side to shed their invincible tag with their third defeat in a row, while a win for the home side will tie them on 14 points with Mumbai on the top.
Warne, though, is still hurting from the four-run loss against Mumbai after Yusuf scored the fastest T20 century earlier in the season. "We should've never lost, especially after Yusuf's innings," he said. If Ojha manages to do what Yusuf couldn't against Mumbai on Sunday, he is sure to have a few more onlookers noticing him when the bus exits the parking lot.
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