Ojha focusing on being an all-rounder

BHOPAL: Probably the front-runner among India's left-arm orthodox spinners, Pragyan Ojha is now forced to focus on improving his batting skills also. Reason: his counterparts Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashiwn, who have been doing good enough with the the blade also, pose an immediate challenges when it comes to securing a berth for the 2015 World Cup. Ojha was in Bhopal on Thursday to attend a function organized by a state-run oil company.
Very few know that Ojha has the credit of hitting a century while representing his school team. Talking to TOI, Ojha said that in the modern cricket, players need to be an all-rounder.
"It is true that competition is tough out there. In such a situation, one needs to be good in all fields. I am focusing on batting also," Ojha said. He, however, added: "Though I am focusing on improving batting skills, priority for me is always bowling."
Ojha took the 10-wicket haul in Test cricket during Sachin Tendulkar's last Test, at Mumbai in November 2013. To date, that has been Ojha's last Test for India, as he wasn't picked for the subsequent tours to South Africa, New Zealand and England.
Former Team India skipper Sourav Ganguly has said on various occasions that India need a spinner like Pragyan Ojha in the team to win more Tests overseas, as he attributed the losses in New Zealand and other overseas tournament to the spinners, not pacers.
Ojha has only played four out of his 24 Tests overseas - in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He is thus yet to play a Test for India outside the sub-continent. Ashwin and Jadeja; both spinners, who made their debuts after Ojha had already played quite a few Tests.
When asked about being ignored by the selectors for overseas tournaments, Ojha simply replied, "It is a part of any player's life. My job is to put in my best. I do not think much about being selected or dropped for a particular series."
About the challenges a player has to face while playing different format of cricket round the year, he said, "A real cricketer is one who performs in any form of cricket.
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