By CricketCountry Staff
Indian left-arm orthodox spinner Pragyan Ojha is confident of an Indian victory against New Zealand in the first Test match at Hyderabad.
Published: Aug 25, 2012, 09:26 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2012, 09:26 PM (IST)
Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha is confident that his bowling partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin will assist India in winning both the Tests © PTI
By CricketCountry Staff
Hyderabad: Aug 25, 2012
Indian left-arm orthodox spinner Pragyan Ojha is confident of an Indian victory against New Zealand in the first Test match at Hyderabad.
Indian spinners did well in the first Test to reel the Kiwi batsmen as India restricted the visitors to a paltry score of 159 runs in the first innings.
Ojha along with Ravichandran Ashwin took nine wickets. The spinner particularly relished picking up wickets on his home ground.
He said, “It was nice getting those wickets, especially playing on my home ground. I was wishing I could pick a five-wicket haul – that would’ve been really special.
“But I still [have] the second innings and I’m looking forward to doing well.”
Ojha feels the ball will spin lot more in the second innings.
He was quoted by BCCI’s official website as saying, “There is definitely some bounce in the track. But now, in the second innings, it has started to turn more. Earlier, it was turning from the fourth stump line. Now it is turning from the middle stump.
“That’s a good sign for us and given how things have gone so far, we believe things will fall into place for us. We have two more days to go [and] the way we’re bowling, we’re confident of winning this Test.”
The left-arm spinner feels it is vital to get the basics right to perform well in Tests.
“The best thing is to do the basics right and keep things simple. Especially in the Tests, you have to be disciplined because you’ve got to play with the patience of the batsman,” said Ojha. “When the ball is turning, it’s a bonus for you. You just have to pitch it there and let the batsman make a mistake.”
Ojha and Ashwin demolished Kiwi batting in the first innings. The Hyderabadi spinner is confident that the duo will replicate such a performance in the second innings and the subsequent match.
He said, “India has a legacy of having great spinners. And as young spinners, we look forward to following their footsteps. We have been picking wickets among ourselves.
“The way he’s bowled here, I’m confident the two of us can do the job in this and the coming Test.”
Despite the success in the Test match, the young spinner feels India misses the experience of the experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh.
He said, “When I bowled with Bhajju Pa, I used to talk to him a lot. The amount of cricket that Bhajju Pa has played, he has a lot of experience that he shared with us. We, as young spinners, do miss that.”
Ojha emphasises that a spinner’s role in modern times has changed and that a spinner is expected to bowl according to team’s requirements.
He said, “I’ve never played as a restrictive bowler. It’s about bowling the way the team needs you to. When you’re bowling on the first day of a Test match, you cannot just come and attack and give easy runs to the batsmen. The game has changed a lot.
“Earlier, teams used to be happy to draw a Test, but now, everyone plays to win. If you play with the patience of the batsman and keep things tight, they will eventually succumb and make a mistake. That’s what I feel.”
