Pragyan Ojha (born 5 September 1986) is an Indian former

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er, who represented

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in all forms of cricket. He played as an attacking left-arm orthodox bowler and left-handed tail-ender batsman for

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. He is one of the very few players who have taken more wickets than the runs they have scored in

Test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

. He was a part of the Indian squad which won the 2010 Asia Cup. He is the player who got out as the historical 800th

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

wicket In the sport of cricket, the term wicket has several meanings: * It is either of the two sets of three Stump (cricket), stumps and two Bail (cricket), bails at each end of the Cricket pitch, pitch. The Fielding (cricket), fielding team's playe ...

Muttiah Muralitharan Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...

Career

Ojha's earliest pursuit in cricket was at the age of 10, when he went to the Saheed Sporting Club for a summer camp in

Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar () is the capital and the largest city of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Odisha. It is located in the Khordha district. The suburban region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as ''Chakra ...

under Sasang S Das, while studying at D.A.V. Public School, Chandrasekharpur. He started playing for the Saheed Sporting Club in the junior tournaments for the club and city. Four years later, he moved to

to pursue studies and chose cricket as his profession under the guidance of his coach T. Vijay Paul. 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. Ojha represented Hyderabad Cricket Association in domestic cricket from 2004 till 2015, then played for Cricket Association of Bengal as a guest player for couple of seasons (2015/16-2016/17). He has previously played for

Deccan Chargers Deccan Chargers (also sometimes known as the Chargers) is a defunct cricket franchise that competed in the Indian Premier League. It was based in the city of Hyderabad. The franchise was one of the eight inaugural members of the IPL in 2008 and ...

and

Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...

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 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 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. 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. Ahead of the

2018–19 Ranji Trophy The 2018–19 Ranji Trophy was the 85th season of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class cricket tournament that took place in India between November 2018 and February 2019. Vidarbha were the defending champions. The final took place between ...

, he transferred from Hyderabad to

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. On 21 February 2020, he has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He played 48 international matches - 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and 6 T20Is - from 2008 to 2013. In his last game for India, a Test against West Indies in 2013, which was Sachin Tendulkar's farewell match, he finished with match figures of 10 for 89 and was named the Man of the Match.

Personal life

Ojha was born in

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. He moved to

at the age of 14 and since then he has been residing there with his family. His parents are Maheswar Ojha (retired State Govt. Officer) and Bidulata Ojha (M.A in literature). On 16 May 2010 he married Karabee Baral, daughter of Kailash Chandra Baral and Chanchala Naik, both professors at

English and Foreign Languages University The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) is a Central university (India), central university for English and foreign languages located in Hyderabad, India. It is the only such university dedicated to languages in South Asia. The un ...

References

External links

*
Pragyan Ojha
s profile page on Wisden {{DEFAULTSORT:Ojha, Pragyan 1986 births Living people Indian cricketers India Test cricketers India One Day International cricketers India Twenty20 International cricketers 21st-century Indian sportsmen Cricketers from Bhubaneswar Hyderabad cricketers Deccan Chargers cricketers Mumbai Indians cricketers South Zone cricketers Surrey cricketers Indian expatriate cricketers in England India Red cricketers India Green cricketers India Blue cricketers Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System alumni Bengal cricketers Bihar cricketers