Pragyan Ojha: News

Cricket wasn’t always Pragyan Ojha’s number one priority. When he moved to Hyderabad from Odisha at the age of 13 to pursue better education, no one imagined that he would become a cricketer in the future. It was his coach Vijay Paul who spotted the prodigious left-arm spinner and showed him the ropes. Ojha made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in the 2004-2005 season. However, it was in the 2006-2007 season that he came of age. He took 29 wickets from 6 matches and made a case for his inclusion in the national team. As icing on the cake, his performance in the 2008 IPL for Deccan Chargers made his case even stronger. Ojha made his international debut in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2008. His Test debut came against Sri Lanka in 2009. It was in the Test format that he excelled. His partnership with R Ashwin reaped rewards for the Indian team. With the rise of batting all-rounders like Jadeja, Ojha soon lost his place in the team. His woes overseas did not benefit him as well. In 2020, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.