Loop, control, variation, angles, changes in speed.
Is Pragyan Ojha the left arm spinner India need to complete their troika of offie, leggie and left arm orthodox?
And will his performance in the IPL finally open the door for his test match debut?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Watching Pragyan Ojha
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23 comments:
He's a hell of a bowler. Had to put him in my players to watch for Deccan, and i usually hate left arm crapadoxes.
UJ,
Tossing it up to KP in a T20 game :).. The kid has balls to go with his skills...
Wont be too surprised if he teams up with Bhajji and Mishra against Lanka in November..
Fun!
Cheers,
one game and a high predicted for a bowler isnt justifiable. let him prove his worth in ODIs more and then would see if he is worth Tests.
For now NO.
Sam,
One game?
Did you watch the IPL last year? And did you see Ojha in the DC's first game this year?
Cheers,
If IPL was the performance barometer the likes of Dhawal Kulkarni, MS Gony, Asnodkar and other so called stars should have been in the team for country...
Ojha would have been super success with IPL but with the national team barring one odd performance in SL this year he hasnt looked rock solid...
And i guess we have long gave up the theory of 3 spinners in Tests with the rise of fast bowlers.
he cud be a good prospect but he gotta prove a lot before that.
sorry to swamp your blog space but one player from this IPL to leap frog in Indian team is RP Singh. He would be more than handy in world t20 defence.Not to forget that RP was successful in England in 07....
I'm certainly impressed by Ojha, but when batsmen are forced to attack you as a spinner your chances improve considerably. That is one of the reasons the spinners are doing so well in this IPL. Its a totally different ball game when you're bowling in a test to a batsman who's sole motivation is to bat out a day or two, and from what I've seen of Ojha in ODIs, he can contain but he doesn't yet bamboozle or look half as threatening as many of the others going around.
Sam,
Kulkarni did get into the Test squad.
And prove what exactly? He has the tools. He has the nous. And he has shown that he can think on his feet.
What more remains to be proved?
Cheers,
Sam,
RP is in my fantasy team :)
Cheers,
Achettup,
Flip that argument around - since the batsmen are hell bent on hitting you, there is every chance that you will go defensive. And bowl flatter and faster.
And what is Ojha's role in an ODI anyways? The 4th bowler? The one who comes in the middle overs to stem the run flow? And he has not done too bad in that role either, has he?
And in Test cricket, if a batsman is looking to bat an entire day or two, the bowler also has the opportunity to crowd the batter. And like I said before, Ojha has the tools and the nous and knows how to use both.
He may not bamboozle, but very few spinner do. If at all.
Cheers,
that was some spell, i froze at the crease just watching. and yeah, the boy smiles.
yeah, he can tweak it...
gives it nice air...
126 wickets at 26.88 with an economy rate of 2.90 in first class cricket is pretty impressive. Besides, Ojha has already represented India Under-19s as well as India A.
4 overs in an IPL game is the worst possible basis for judging a spin bowler. All the basic skills which Homer refers to - it is already accepted by knowing watchers that Ojha possesses these - thats why he has the resume that he does.
Ojha probably bowls longer, more taxing spells during an average net than the 24 balls he bowls in an IPL game with a new ball.
Besides, you learn almost nothing useful about a spinner - that Test would come on a first day wicket against good opposition - can he bowl 15-20 over spells there and still maintain control? Thats the test- thats what will determine whether he's a good spin bowler.
The worst thing that can possibly happen is that watchers like us start taking the measure of a cricketer for serious cricket, based on a 20 overs a side game. The mere profile of the tournament (which comes from the glamour associated with it and the press attention on it), is no guarantee for quality. It is precisely the sort of thing which one ought not to lose sight off while watching an IPL game.
I would pick Ojha as spinner, based on his first class record, even if he bowled rubbish in the IPL.
I think the way Ojha first tied down and then dismissed Dhoni in one of the IPL games last year was one of the few highlights for Deccan Chargers....and he has not done too badly in the limited ODI chances he has received till now (12 wkts from 9 games @ 28.00 and an economy of 4.20).
As for Chargers, 2 wins in 2 games.....they can give you big boys from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai more than a fight this season.
well, unlike last year, I do not have to pretend anymore that I have transcended all parochial identities. Come on Hyderabad!
I kept an eye on Ojha when he got Ganguly out in IPL I. He did reasonably well in the limited opportunity he got. Can't say about Test matches, but he is good enougha ODI/T20 material.
Ojha is good but unlikely to better Harbhajan - given that we play max of 2 spinners even in India, that hampers his test chances. Bhajji's probably going to be around for another 6-7 years; Ojha's got a chance only if Bhajji performs very badly and is out of reckoning by next year, and that is unlikely to happen - Bhajji's got too much talent, so much talent that he can afford to go mediocre for 4 series together, then suddenly he can summon his talent and have one good series, and then coast for another 4-5 series. Which is what he has been doing - just do enough for most of the time, and then when the critics are baying, perform to full potential for one series, shut up the critics, and go back to mediocrity for another 4 series. Now, that might sound cynical but I 'm really admiring such ability turn off and on the tap of talent he has - and spend only as much effort to remain in the team as necessary, while focussing on fun and business interests otherwise.
Yes he does NC.. He sure does :)
Cheers,
Barney,
Loved his control.. And the way he constructs overs..
Thanks for the comment and welcome to the blog.
Cheers,
Kartikeya,
Fair comment.. But here is the thing - the IPL provides players a stage. And quite frankly, playing the domestic season hardly prepares you for the pressure that one has to face in the IPL.
The fact that Ojha has managed to keep his nerve in both seasons 1 and 2 ( thus far) gives an insight into his character.
You may dismiss his craft in T20, but his temperament is the one that is under scrutiny - and he has not done too badly has he?
Cheers,
Saurabh,
Super Saturday will be fun eh? The mob from Mumbai taking on the Dhakkans..
Fun :)
Cheers,
Som,
I think he is ready for the step up.. He has done his apprentice in the domestics, has shown temperament in the IPL, his looks in control of his craft.
Cheers,
Thanks for your kind words Harish and thanks for adding me to the list of blogs..
Cheers,
Raj,
And he is a Mumbai Indian :)
Cheers,
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