India calls Naman Ojha

NAGPUR: Naman Ojha didn’t harbour a dream to play for his country when he started playing cricket. He simply loved cricket and didn’t think of anything else after that. Two-and-half decades after he first held the cricket bat, Naman finally became the 285th cricketer to play Test for the country.
The 32-year-old talks to TOI about his cricketing journey
How did you start? Did anyone play any sport in the family or someone motivated you to start cricket? I would go to Devas (near to Indore) during summer vacations, where my maternal grandmother lives.There was a club Yeshwant Rao near her house where I would watch cricketers play the whole day. They used to play and I would carry the drinks. Such was my passion that I used to sit in the verandah whole day and even watch them play while having my meals. Then I started with a summer camp there. Then I went to Ratlam and played at the Polo Ground. Actually, it was Arun (Singh) Sir, who spotted my talent. I used to play tennis ball cricket too. There was a funny incident. My mom actually stopped my cricket as I used to dive a lot and she had to wash my dirty clothes. I needed some activity so I started flying kites and playing gilli-danda. After some days, Arun Sir asked my club mates why I wasn’t coming for practice. They told him “aajkal patang udata hai aur gilli-danda khelta hai". He came to my home, talked to my parents and convinced them to let me continue with my practice. It all started from there, when I was in fifth or sixth class. I played up to Class 10 under the guidance of Arun Sir.
So when did serious cricket start?
A: Arun Sir took me to Indore for a summer camp after my Class X exams. I met Bhagwandas Sutar Sir in the camp. One day Sanjay Jagdale sir saw me and spoke to me. I told him that I wanted to join his club Cricket Club of Indore (CCI). It was the best in the region. He taught me the importance of basics and playing straight. I joined his club after Class X and it was the turning point for me. There were some fine bowlers there and I was constantly improving. One day Narendra Hirwani bowled to me in the nets. I was attacking all the bowlers so he liked it. He enquired about me and after that I was regularly in touch with him. He used to motivate me and always encouraged my attacking instincts. Our Under-19 coaches Nitin Kulkarni and Mukesh Sahni helped me a lot during those days. Later, I did well in Under-19 and was picked for the Ranji Trophy when I was only 17. Hiru Bhai already knew about me so that was good for me.
How has Narendra Hirwani helped you over the years?
If I am playing spin well today, a lot of credit should go to him and Manish Majithiya (former MP spinner). They were quality spinners and to play them day in day out in the nets was great exposure for me. Even when I got out playing an attacking shot, Hiru Bhai would encourage me to continue with my strengths. He made me fearless. He was a great teammate. I had a great bond with him till he was my teammate. When he became a selector, he got busy but once in a while adviced me about my game. There were some days when we needed to save the game and the coach would advise me to curb my natural instincts but Hiru Bhai always encouraged me to play my shots. It was Hiru Bhai who advised me to take personalized coaching from Pravin (Amre) Sir.
You played with some of the legends of Madhya Pradesh. Was there anyone whom you tried to imitate?
Yes. Amay Khurasiya was one. He was a clean striker and I always wanted to bat like him. My game was very similar to him.
You were part of the star-studded Central Zone team as well, which had the likes of Mohammad Kaif, JP Yadav, Murali Kartik, Sanjay Bangar, Abbas Ali, Devendra Bundela and so many others…
Yes, I was lucky to have shared the dressing room with them. The likes of JP Bhai and Katty (Kartik) Bhai would always tell me to concentrate on my keeping skills. I had a great time under Kaif. He used to back me a lot and much like Hiru Bhai he would always encourage me to play attacking cricket. They always told me that there’s no problem with my batting but I need to work on my keeping. I am glad that I have improved a lot as a wicketkeeper.
Did any former cricketer help you in your wicketkeeping?
Kiran (More) helped me a lot. It’s because of him I am an improved wicketkeeper. After working with him I realized that there should be one specialist wicketkeeping coach. He not only helped me with some technical issues but also helped me with the mental aspect. This year, I did very well as a keeper. I had a good Irani Trophy where I took some fantastic catches. If you want to play at the highest level, you need to plug all loopholes in your game. There’s no room for any mistake at the international level. When you are picked for the national team, you need to perform. You need to do well, both behind and in front of the wicket.
You have batted at all positions during your 14-year career. How you have made changes in your batting?
I started with opening in Central Zone, later on I batted at No.7. Now I am playing in the middle order at No. 4 for MP. I thought if I get picked in the national side, I need to know how to approach the game there. I enjoy playing fast bowling. I rely more on my timing and finding gaps. However, in middle order you need to play pacers and spinners equally well. Besides, keeping 90 overs and then opening isn’t easy. So it was a conscious effort on my part to bat in the middle order. As I said, I have covered almost all the bases and now it’s time to deliver.
How have India ‘A’ tours helped you?
When you play in different conditions, you are a bit hesitant to start with. These tours take this hesitancy out of you and when you do well you become more confident. Like in Australia, you get more bounce in the wicket. But you don’t need to change the whole technique. You just need to make slight adjustments. I enjoyed batting in Australia. Those three successive hundreds took my confidence to a different level.
How has personalized coaching with Pravin Amre changed your life?
When you play for a long period, some times you forget a bit of the basics and you don’t even realize that. Pravin Sir helped me in that regard. He helped me with my shot selection. What are the shots you need to play on certain wickets? How would you approach different conditions? How to score runs against different attacks? He made slight adjustments to my batting approach and mostly worked on the mental aspect.
Last year, you toured with Team India in England and Australia. What are the things you like about this young side?
They all are fearless. They play for each other. I got a lot of positive energy from them. When you play in the company of talented players, you know you can also get a chance at some stage. I had an opportunity to speak to Virat and I found him full of energy and a person who knows his game well. He spoke about fitness, diet and game plan. We also spoke during the match against Australia ‘A’ before the Sri Lanka tour. He is very approachable.
You also got the opportunity to work with a legend like Rahul Dravid. How was the experience?
It was great working with Rahul Bhai. He kept telling me about my ability as a batsman, and that one or two failures won’t really count against me, because of the weight of runs I have had over the years. Even when I didn’t get the runs, I didn’t want to fuss over it. I focussed on my wicketkeeping, which was put to good test on turning wickets in Chennai. He advised me a few things which I have noted down and will surely implement.
Any particular advice?
It’s more on the mental aspect…like how to maintain tempo during batting. He advised me to take it easy and not to expect too much from yourself.
How big a moment will be your Test debut?
Massive. It’s the moment you live for. To represent your country in Test cricket, which is a traditional format, is something I have always dreamt about.
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