Quick Facts
Virgo
Biography
Pragyan Ojha (born 5 September 1986) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Indian national cricket team. He is a slow left arm orthodox bowler. He plays for Bengal cricket team in domestic cricket.
Career
Ojha made his debut in first class cricket in 2004/05 and represented India at the under-19 level as well. He finished the 2006–07 Ranji Trophy season with 29 wickets with an impressive average of 19.89 in just 6 games. The left arm spinner is known for his ability to flight the ball. He is the only Hyderabadi to have played in all three formats of the game for India.
His earliest pursuit in cricket was at the age of 10, when he went to Sahid Sporting Club for a summer camp in Bhubaneswar under Sasang S Das, while studying at D.A.V Public School in Chandrasekharpur. Three years later, he moved to Bhavan's Sri RamaKrishna Vidyalaya (BSRKV) in Sainikpuri and carried on his cricket coaching under the guidance of T Vijay Paul.
Ojha represented Hyderabad Cricket Association in domestic cricket from 2004 till 2015, now plays for Cricket Association of Bengal. He has previously played for Deccan Chargers and currently plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. His high success in the first couple of seasons in domestic cricket and the IPL ensured his selection in the 15-man Indian squad for the Bangladesh tour and Asia Cup in 2008.
He played his first One Day International match against Bangladesh on 28 June 2008 in Karachi and ended up with figures of 2/43.
On 24 November 2009, Ojha made his Test debut in the Second Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur, replacing Amit Mishra and gaining figures of 2/37 off 23 overs and 2/36 off of 15.3 overs in India's 100th Test win. He then took five wickets in the Third Test in another innings win for India, taking nine wickets at 28.66 in two Tests. Ojha became the 800th and final Test victim of Muttiah Muralitharan, the highest wicket-taker in Test history.
In his T20 debut against Bangladesh on 6 June 2009, he took 4/21 in four overs. He was awarded Man of the Match for his outstanding and match-winning performance.
He has performed exceedingly well in the six editions of IPL, earning him the praise of his captain Adam Gilchrist and Sachin Tendulkar. He was all the more successful in the second season, which ensured his selection in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England. IPL 3 he was awarded the Purple Cap for picking up the most number of wickets in the tournament. He has been part of 3 IPL winning teams (1 for Deccan Chargers & 2 for Mumbai Indians) & 1 champions League for Mumbai Indians.
In August, 2011 he signed to play for Surrey for the final few weeks of the 2011 season.[2] His 24 wickets in 4 games helped Surrey to promotion to Division One of the LV County Championship.
In November, during the First Test of the West Indies Tour of India he staged a marvelous comeback taking 6 wickets for 72 runs in the first innings.
In December, 2014 Ojha was barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal. Later on 30 January 2015 Ojha cleared the test and was allowed to resume his bowling.
In a 2008 interview, Ojha said that Venkatapathy Raju, who was also a left-arm spinner, inspired him to play for India.
Injuries
On 26 July 2012, during a practice session in Premadasa Stadium, Colombo he was hit by the ball on his neck. He was discharged from the hospital after check up.
Awards
- Ojha was awarded Man of the Match for his outstanding figures of 5/40 and 5/49, against West Indies which was Sachin's last and 200th test match, 14-16 Nov 2013.
- Ojha was awarded for IPL Jury's Best Bowler at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai on 23 April 2010.
- Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presented a memento to Ojha for his completion of 100 Test Wickets on 4 August 2013.
Performances
Test 10 wicket hauls
| # | Figures | Match | Opponent | Venue | City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10/89 | 24 |  West Indies | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | India | 2013 |
Test 5 wicket hauls
| # | Figures | Match | Opponent | Venue | City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6/72 | 12 | West Indies | Feroz Shah Kotla | Delhi | India | 2011 |
| 2 | 6/47 | 14 | West Indies | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | India | 2011 |
| 3 | 5/99 | 16 |  New Zealand | M. Chinnaswamy | Bangalore | India | 2012 |
| 4 | 5/45 | 17 |  England | Sardar Patel Stadium | Ahmedabad | India | 2012 |
| 5 | 5/143 | 18 | England | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | India | 2012 |
| 6 | 5/40 | 24 | West Indies | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | India | 2013 |
| 7 | 5/49 | 24 | West Indies | Wankhede Stadium | Mumbai | India | 2013 |