Rediscovering Ojha

A bowler usually wears a frustrated look at the end of the day when there is no response from the pitch. Even more if he is the main bowler of the team. Every match that he plays is of utmost importance. Especially when you have to compete with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja to make a comeback into the Indian team. You have no options but to go for wickets.

Bengal's left-arm spinner and India discard Pragyan Ojha isn't someone who is in a hurry to make an India comeback. He is all smiles even after returning with figures of 16-2-47-1 on Day One of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday. He knows his time will come since it's a long game. He is pretty relaxed about it.

Put into bat by Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary, Madhya Pradesh were sitting comfortably at 254/4 at the end of the day with veteran Devendra Bundela (42*) and Harpreet Singh (51*) at the wicket.

"It is a five-day game. The wicket is good to bat on, it also had something for seamers initially, that is why we chose to bowl first. There is nothing much for spinners. We just have to keep it tight and give rest to our bowlers. If something happens, it will happen on the fourth day because you can't see the soil (due to grass) that it will break. May be we can get something due to bowling marks," says Ojha after the first day's play.

Being the main spinner and the surface doing nothing much, Ojha has a simple plan. "The only thing you can do differently is to keep it tight and have the right field placements. Even though it's not turning, there is some bounce and I will have to bowl in one particular area to get wickets," he added.

Ojha, who used to bowl with full sleeves while playing Tests for India, was seen bowling with half sleeves, attacking at the stumps. In December 2014, the left-arm spinner was barred from bowling in competitive cricket after his action was found to be illegal. However, in February 2015, he was cleared by the BCCI to bowl.

There is not much difference from what he bowled earlier with just a minor change in the run-up and a straighter arm. "I have changed my angle of the run-up. I was running diagonally initially but now I am going straight, which helps me in positioning my body better towards the batsman. That's a major change that has been done," he says.

"It has been same almost. I have not lost the turn and bounce. Am still getting something off the wicket and I am happy that I have not lost on those things. As a bowler, if you lose what you have been doing all these years, then I don't think you will be the same bowler any more. Luckily, those things are there, the penetration is still there and I am working on more things and trying to improve," he said.

With 34 scalps, Ojha is 11th among leading wicket-takers in Ranji Trophy games. There are five other left-arm spinners ahead of him including Jadeja (38 wickets in just 4 games). Ojha, who switched states from Hyderabad to Bengal, felt this season has been good.

"Personally, I did well to get 34 wickets. I have made a good comeback. That's how life goes (after his action was found illegal). As long as I am taking wickets and doing well for any team which I play for, helping it win, that gives me satisfaction."

With the kind of form Jadeja that was in during the home Tests against South Africa late last year, the competition has only got tougher to get in. "When you are aiming to play for India, then you cannot think about just two or three guys as competitors. Competition comes from the whole of India. Anybody performing will make the competition healthy and that will enhance your performance," Ojha said.

The 29-year-old's last match for India was in 2013 against West Indies at the Wankhede, which was Sachin Tendulkar's last match for the country. Ojha had match figures of 10/49 that won him the man of the match. Since then he has been out of the side for unknown reasons.

However, he has set his eyes on a comeback. "I I want to see myself playing for the country once again in the next two years. The only way I can do that is by performing in domestic cricket," he said.