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From second fiddle to leader
So far he has either been sitting out or playing second fiddle to regular spinner Harbhajan Singh. He was always considered a second spinner in the team and even conceded that spot to Amit Mishra last year. But on Monday Pragyan Ojha took his first step, a big one, to come out of the shadow.Playing in his first Test since Novemeber last year, he announced his return to international cricket with six wickets against West Indies in the first Test at Ferozeshah Kotla ground.
Ojha had picked up 42 wickets in the 11 Tests, a creditable performance for a young bowler, before being dropped from the side. However, he took it in his strides and worked harder on the aspects which could help him regain his place in the Indian team.
The county stint with Surrey could not have come at a better time. He went to England as a professional and was expected to lead the attack and win matches for them. The responsibility of leading the attack and pressure to perform helped him grow as a spinner.
The exposure gave him the confidence to bowl under pressure and turn in match-winning performances. He grabbed 24 wickets at an average of 12.95 for Surrey in the County Championship and played a vital role in their promotion to first division.
He continued the good work when he returned to India and was included in the Rest of India squad for Irani Trophy. And was again right on the money grabbing nine Rajasthan wickets in two innings.
In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, he was again required to wear the leader’s hat and guide the debutant Ravichandran Ashwin and a wiser and more patient Ojha traded the opportunity with the most favourable results.
On a slow turning Kotla pitch, he bowled with great discipline and control, taking a wicket everytime MS Dhoni threw the ball in his direction. After first day’s figures of 58 for 3, Ojha was again introduced early in the morning and he responded well to give India two wickets in his two overs.
He, then, wrapped up the West Indies innings with a well flighted ball just outside the off-stump. With the delivery, he invited Fidel Edwards to go for an expensive shot and the tailender accepted that and tried to loft the ball over mid-off but edged it into the hands of Virender Sehwag at backward-point.
The shrewdness behind the wicket summed up the transformation of this Hyderabad left-arm spinner from a second-fiddle to the leader of the pack.
