Keep fighting day in, day out - Pragyan Ojha's mantra

It's been three years since Pragyan Ojha played Test cricket for India. His last Test - a no ordinary at that - saw the left-arm spinner pick a match haul of 10 for 89. His performance got overshadowed because it was Sachin Tendulkar's final Test and, of course, it was expected.

A career that should have blossomed after that, for several reasons, spiraled down like a free-falling jet. The pitches in domestic cricket became less conducive to spin considering the focus was on pacers and more grassy tracks were being prepared. The rise of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played a part but the biggest reason was his action.

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It's the final over of the 2013-14 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Hyderabad and Goa in Visakhapatnam. The game has boiled down to the final over, to be bowled by Ojha, with Goa needing 14 off it. The equation comes down to five off the final ball. Ojha bowls a full toss and the ball is hammered straight over his head for a six. Ojha, clearly not pleased with his effort, kicks all three stumps out of the ground as the umpire raises his hands to signal the six.

Ojha's reaction not only symbolised his anger but also was a result of his frustration. There had been plenty of whispers about his action ever since Tendulkar's final Test and the frustration was clearly on show. That also resulted in him going off selectors' radar even after racing towards 100 Test wickets.

Six months later he was officially reported for suspect action during a domestic game and two months after that, he was banned by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

And then began the 'toughest phase', as he puts it, of his career. One of the aspects he worked on was approaching the crease with his body positioning itself straight towards the batsman and not diagonally at the time of release. He worked with D Vasu and M Venkataramana, the coaches at the BCCI specialist academy. After a three-month vigil, Ojha was cleared by the BCCI, in Februaury 2015.

In his comeback match, where Hyderabad were taking on Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy game in Secunderabad, Ojha was nervous but confident enough with his new action. After the day's play, Ojha walked up to the video analyst to talk about and analyse it. He picked up a four-wicket haul on his return and was soon picked in the India A squad to take on Australia A in Chennai.

We are in Regenta Central in Rajkot where the West Bengal team is staying for their Ranji Trophy 2016-17 clash against Tamil Nadu. Bengal have landed in the city after their clash against Gujarat was called off due to smog in New Delhi. "It was quite bad there," he says easing into the conversation.

For Ojha personally, a lot has changed in the last three years. He's now part of Bengal, having moved from Hyderabad, and is looking to find his same old mojo back.

Ojha's move was prompted by two factors - he was looking for a better side to compete with teams in Group A or Group B. Sourav Ganguly approached Ojha to switch sides after seeing Bengal struggle because of the lack of a quality spinner.

I was meeting Ojha primarily with the aim of a piece of him reliving Tendulkar's final series. But when you meet someone, who has over 100 Test wickets for India to his name, you can't really restrict your chat to just one aspect, can you?

It's hard to tell if Ojha was expecting a question on his action when he agreed for the interview but soon after we were done discussing the Tendulkar article, I hesitantly put forward the question. He seemed unfazed. He's probably had to answer this in every media commitment he has made.

"I was shocked and taken aback but that was also a situation that got the tough side out of me," he starts. "When I started thinking about players, who were asked to remodel their action, all I could think of is that they never recovered from it. Their career was over. When it happened to me, I saw the positive side of it.

"The love for the game was so much, I wanted to make a comeback and was determined to be back on the field. I wanted to make a point, come back, play and perform. After coming back, I bowled for Hyderabad. I got a four-wicket haul, I got picked for India A and then got a five-wicket haul. The next season I started playing for Bengal and got 36 wickets and I felt I was right back on track. It has been a bit different for me. People say that it's very difficult to come back to your best when you've changed something but that's now a challenge in front of me. When people talk negative about me, that really motivates me.

"I didn't have to do much with the actions. Instead of going diagonal, I started bowling straight. It needs a lot of people backing you. That support from friends, family, colleagues becomes crucial. I'm really thankful that I've got a really good support system. My family, my friends, the players I play with, they were always there, they watched me and monitored me. When negative things started flooding my mind, they helped me get out of that situation."

On wickets that assisted spinners, Ojha ended with 10 wickets in two unofficial Tests - the most from an Indian spinner in that series. His performance not only gave him the much-needed confidence, but also impressed Rahul Dravid, the India A coach.

"It's terrific to see him make a comeback and it's not easy to do," David said. "Great to see him bowl with half-sleeves. He has taken the bull by the horns: 'I have nothing to hide and I want to bowl with half-sleeves'. He must be applauded for that. Because he has gone out there [with the thought] that I'm confident in my action and bowling and confident enough to wear a half-sleeve t-shirt. To me that's a really good sign. He has had a lot of success playing for India in India. Lots of series coming up. The more he bowls, the better it is," Dravid went on to add.

Ojha acknowledges that Dravid's words did help him feel comfortable. "Dravid was very happy with me coming back to the fold. Words of encouragement from a person like Rahul bhai really helps. He's also a reason that helps me focus more and motivates me more," he says but is quick to acknowledge VVS Laxman's contribution as well. "Lachi bhai (Laxman) would talk to me. He would exactly know what my mindset is and how my progress is going even when we spoke on the phone. He would always how I am doing."

Ojha seems very emotional while talking about his toughest phase but that's a thing of past now. Throughout the conversation, he's been so soft-spoken that even the background music in the hotel lobby, that's hardly noticeable at times, overshadows his voice.

The phase also helped him some valuable lessons. "For me cricket has a special part in my life," Ojha reiterates. "The amount of satisfaction that I get by playing this game, nothing can parallel that.

"But in this journey I've realised that my family and friends are even more important. When I was playing for my country and when I was the purple cap holder in IPL, they were always there. But when my downfall came because of the action, I realised that if these people are not there, my cricket won't be sorted. They are my strength.

"If I have my family and I don't play, they nothing is worth it. But if I play well, do well and don't have my family and friends, then what's the point of all those achievements? It's very difficult to say cricket is everything for me. It will be a wrong statement because if I do well in cricket and don't have friends, then I'm not successful."

So, does your WhatsApp status, 'no man can walk out of his own story!' signify your journey, I ask? "No no, it is just caught my eye," he says caught a little off guard from the question before explaining it further, "I just wanted it to mean that you can't run away from your past. Whatever has happened will always remain with you."

The demons Ojha has fought over the course of this three-year period have left a fingerprint on his career. He can't escape the fact that this will be an integral part of his career that will be talked about extensively.

From the highs in 2013 to the lows in 2015, Ojha has seen it all. Though he doesn't admit, not being a part of the Indian squad after several match-winning performances, must hurt. He's well aware that he's not in selectors' radar and it'll take more than a special performance for him to get back in the reckoning.

But even at 30, Ojha is as determined as he ever was. Though the numbers haven't been that great (10 wickets in six Ranji Trophy games), he's loved in the Bengal camp. He's quickly established himself as a vital cog in their wheel.

"Anyone who starts playing, they never really think of having a career out of it. They play because they love the game and it was the same with me. Once you start enjoying the game, then you start thinking of going up the ladder. I never thought I'll play for India. I was just happy being picked for my school and that's how the journey started. I went on to represent my state and then the country. These are achievements that I'm really proud of," he says, matter of factly.

"Getting more than 100 Test wickets is a very unique feeling for me. More than me, the people who come and meet me, remind me that I have these many wickets. That's because of the respect Test cricket has. It gives me a lot motivation and that's something that's pushing me right now to keep going even when I'm not a part of the India team."

From a personal point of view, I've always wanted to know a cricketer outside of cricket. During my research, I came across Ojha's association with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

"If anyone is kept in a room and locked for just 24 hours, they are not comfortable," he starts talking about the cause. "Now imagine if an animal or birds are kept in a cage, in which they are not supposed to be, how bad it must be. I thought that was something I needed to convey to the people. You go to the zoo and you see animals but you don't really realise what they go through. They just don't belong there. They belong to their natural habitat."

But are you fond of any particular animal, I ask. "I love dogs but a lot of people don't know that I like crocodiles a lot," he reveals with a smile. " I have a special place for them, I don't know why. I keep trying to research about them, watch videos. In South Africa, I've also spent some time with them. I had gone to a crocodile farm and spent a lot time there. They fascinate me."

Not only animals, Ojha, like several other cricketers, has been more than willing to give back to the society. He came forward to help the farmers earlier this year with several other celebrities. "Because my great grandfather was a farmer, I've heard the struggle they've gone through just to sell a sack of rice. To sell it, he had to carry those bags on his shoulder and walk for 10-15 kilometers. When problems emerge, I felt should stand by them. It's not like I wanted to give back to society or something. I didn't even want people to know."

As we conclude the conversation, I leave with a sense of satisfaction with the way conversation panned out. The six matches Ojha played in this season's Ranji Trophy resulted in just ten wickets. But Ojha understands, he needs to stand tall and keep fighting - something he has been doing day in and day out in the last three years since the day whole of India weeped with Tendulkar.