The Indian team after the departure of Anil Kumble faced a down like never before.Kumble was always in the team bowling his heart out,even in placid,unyielding wickets giving out his best and was very successful throughout his career.He played for almost 15 years and we were not in need of a back up because we know that as long as he is around,spin department is in safe hands.But like all good things that come to an end,Kumble's career did too.By that time we had another saviour in the form of Harbhajan Singh.Harbhajan and Kumble joined together after the epic India - Australia series in 2001.They have partnered each other very well and have won many matches together for India.
But Harbhajan's form dwindled after the retirement of Kumble.Blame it on fate,or lack of a good partner or both.It was a disastrous news for the Indian camp,who were solely dependent on the turbanator to deliver the goods in subcontinent conditions.Harbhajan started losing his flight,the loop and most importantly the doosra,which was the "Brahma Astra" in his armoury.
Harbhajan was very inconsistent and eventually he was declared "injured" during the England series last year and was replaced by Amit Mishra. Mishra has been one of the greatest disappointments for Indian cricket,one of the many players to have "lost it" in the international scene.After a brilliant start with a 5 wicket haul against the Australians,Mishra seems to have tottered off into oblivion, he bowls very slowly even for a leg spinner and he tends to bowl defensively on occasions.
Apart from these three spinners, India lacked a bowler who can be a genuine match winner for us,because spin bowling was our strength right from the day we started playing test cricket.Ojha was also in the team for the past 2 years,mostly as the back up spinner.But of late,with the emergence of R. Ashwin Ojha seems to have found a new lease of life.His bowling is more aggressive now,he is not afraid to flight the ball,to attack the batsman with his "wicket to wicket" bowling.
Ojha is the kind of bowler whom one can call a completely orthodox bowler,who has got his basics in the right place.He has a steady run up mixed with a decent delivery stride without any flourish, which looks pleasing to the eye.He believes in the art of flighting the ball and he revels in the spin and bounce which he extracts from the subcontinent wickets.Ojha's main strength is that he bowls a very tight line,mostly wicket to wicket which does not allow the batsman to free his arms and go for his shots.Ojha does not have too many variations,he bowls the orthodox spin and an arm ball which goes straight after pitching.
Ojha was first spotted in the IPL, where he was economical and was picking up wickets regularly for the Deccan Chargers.In the second edition, where the Chargers won the tournament,Ojha was a key bowler who picked up crucial wickets,restrained the opposition batting and helped them lift the trophy.Ojha was, in fact the highest wicket taker in the third season of IPL. He can be a very good bowler in limited overs also and he has proved that by performing consistently in the IPL.He has picked up 69 wickets and is one of the top 5 wicket takers in IPL history.So he certainly deserves to play in the limited overs format,where he can get more exposure,facing batsmen who attack and can mould his bowling accordingly,and can hone his skills.Pragyan is being wasted,by limiting him to tests alone ,he will fade away like many other promising bowlers, if he's not given a longer run in the shorter formats.He is a capable bowler,but he needs some confidence to replicate the success which he has attained in tests, to ODI's and T20's.
His test stats are pretty good,mainly after the arrival of Ashwin in the test team.He has got almost 70 wickets with 5 five-wicket hauls.His average is pretty good and he has been a steady performer for the last one year.
Ojha is a man who can be an asset to team India in the coming years.But for that,he needs to be given confidence and should be backed up so that he can put in his maximum efforts for India.With Ashwin,he has the potential to become one of the greatest spinners to have ever played for India.
But Harbhajan's form dwindled after the retirement of Kumble.Blame it on fate,or lack of a good partner or both.It was a disastrous news for the Indian camp,who were solely dependent on the turbanator to deliver the goods in subcontinent conditions.Harbhajan started losing his flight,the loop and most importantly the doosra,which was the "Brahma Astra" in his armoury.
Harbhajan was very inconsistent and eventually he was declared "injured" during the England series last year and was replaced by Amit Mishra. Mishra has been one of the greatest disappointments for Indian cricket,one of the many players to have "lost it" in the international scene.After a brilliant start with a 5 wicket haul against the Australians,Mishra seems to have tottered off into oblivion, he bowls very slowly even for a leg spinner and he tends to bowl defensively on occasions.
Apart from these three spinners, India lacked a bowler who can be a genuine match winner for us,because spin bowling was our strength right from the day we started playing test cricket.Ojha was also in the team for the past 2 years,mostly as the back up spinner.But of late,with the emergence of R. Ashwin Ojha seems to have found a new lease of life.His bowling is more aggressive now,he is not afraid to flight the ball,to attack the batsman with his "wicket to wicket" bowling.
Ojha is the kind of bowler whom one can call a completely orthodox bowler,who has got his basics in the right place.He has a steady run up mixed with a decent delivery stride without any flourish, which looks pleasing to the eye.He believes in the art of flighting the ball and he revels in the spin and bounce which he extracts from the subcontinent wickets.Ojha's main strength is that he bowls a very tight line,mostly wicket to wicket which does not allow the batsman to free his arms and go for his shots.Ojha does not have too many variations,he bowls the orthodox spin and an arm ball which goes straight after pitching.
Ojha was first spotted in the IPL, where he was economical and was picking up wickets regularly for the Deccan Chargers.In the second edition, where the Chargers won the tournament,Ojha was a key bowler who picked up crucial wickets,restrained the opposition batting and helped them lift the trophy.Ojha was, in fact the highest wicket taker in the third season of IPL. He can be a very good bowler in limited overs also and he has proved that by performing consistently in the IPL.He has picked up 69 wickets and is one of the top 5 wicket takers in IPL history.So he certainly deserves to play in the limited overs format,where he can get more exposure,facing batsmen who attack and can mould his bowling accordingly,and can hone his skills.Pragyan is being wasted,by limiting him to tests alone ,he will fade away like many other promising bowlers, if he's not given a longer run in the shorter formats.He is a capable bowler,but he needs some confidence to replicate the success which he has attained in tests, to ODI's and T20's.
His test stats are pretty good,mainly after the arrival of Ashwin in the test team.He has got almost 70 wickets with 5 five-wicket hauls.His average is pretty good and he has been a steady performer for the last one year.
Ojha is a man who can be an asset to team India in the coming years.But for that,he needs to be given confidence and should be backed up so that he can put in his maximum efforts for India.With Ashwin,he has the potential to become one of the greatest spinners to have ever played for India.
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