Ojha buoyed by shock recall
NEW DELHI: Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is keen to capitalise on a second bite of the cherry after landing a surprise call-up to an India squad he was originally omitted from for the ongoing tour of England.
The Hyderabad spinner watched from the pavilion on India’s June tour of the Caribbean as leg-spinner Amit Mishra was selected ahead of him, and Ojha dropped further down the pecking order when Harbhajan Singh returned for the England series.
However, Ojha recently signed a contract with English county Surrey and was practising with his Ranji Trophy teammates in Hyderabad when spin spearhead Harbhajan’s injury provided an opportunity for the 24-year-old is keen to seize with both hands.
“I was already practicing for my Surrey stint and would have left (for England) in a week’s time. This surprise India call-up means I would be leaving earlier than planned,” the spinner said.
“At a time when there is no cricket being played (in India), all I could do was to practice hard and keep myself fit. I can’t change what happened in the West Indies but what I can do now is give my best in England.”
Once again, Ojha will vie with Mishra for a place in the starting side for the remaining two Tests of the four-match series, which has been dominated by the pacemen and offered little to the slow bowlers on either side. As England ran riot to open a 2-0 series lead with a pair of big wins, Harbhajan bagged just one wicket at the Lord’s Test and one more at Trent Bridge before he was ruled out of the remainder of the series with an abdominal muscle strain.
The Hyderabad spinner watched from the pavilion on India’s June tour of the Caribbean as leg-spinner Amit Mishra was selected ahead of him, and Ojha dropped further down the pecking order when Harbhajan Singh returned for the England series.
However, Ojha recently signed a contract with English county Surrey and was practising with his Ranji Trophy teammates in Hyderabad when spin spearhead Harbhajan’s injury provided an opportunity for the 24-year-old is keen to seize with both hands.
“I was already practicing for my Surrey stint and would have left (for England) in a week’s time. This surprise India call-up means I would be leaving earlier than planned,” the spinner said.
“At a time when there is no cricket being played (in India), all I could do was to practice hard and keep myself fit. I can’t change what happened in the West Indies but what I can do now is give my best in England.”
Once again, Ojha will vie with Mishra for a place in the starting side for the remaining two Tests of the four-match series, which has been dominated by the pacemen and offered little to the slow bowlers on either side. As England ran riot to open a 2-0 series lead with a pair of big wins, Harbhajan bagged just one wicket at the Lord’s Test and one more at Trent Bridge before he was ruled out of the remainder of the series with an abdominal muscle strain.
Published by Unknown
on 05:14.
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