Pragyan Ojha wants to play Irani Trophy

NEW DELHI: Pragyan Ojha may have taken 13 wickets in his last two Test matches against New Zealand, but the left-arm spinner doesn't want his new-found success to distract him. His aim is to keep his rhythm going and for that he wants to play in the upcoming Irani Trophy match against Ranji Trophy champions Rajasthan, if he is selected in the Rest of India team.Ojha's attitude is refreshing as very few national players want to go through the domestic grind after cementing a slot in Team India.
"I have a long way to go. Starting November, India will play against some of the top Test teams like England and Australia and the biggest challenge for me will be to stay fit. A lot of hard work is required to be physically and mentally fit to take on these teams. I want to keep playing to stay match-fit for the England series," Ojha told TOI on Wednesday.
When asked what his wicket-target was before the New Zealand series, Ojha said, "I don't set such targets. I always try to do my job and I don't think about wickets when I am bowling. For a spinner the ultimate pleasure comes when you beat a batsman in the air and dismiss him eventually. The wicket of New Zealand's Brendon McCullum in the first innings of the Test was a dismissal which gave me immense satisfaction. But the best bit was bowling in tandem with Ashwin. We support and understand each other."
Talking about Indian bowling in the two-Test series, he said: "Actually the entire bowling unit did well. The medium pacers and the spinners all bowled as a group. On the batting front, both Virat (Kohli) and (Cheteshwar) Pujara were outstanding. The seniors backed their performances with useful contributions. It was a total team effort."
Ojha said a key thing was that the team did well despite not having stars like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. He said the youngsters in the Test team have passed the preliminary test. "With some new faces in the Test team, the question was whether the youngsters could deliver. They did. The first phase is over and now we have to look for consistency."
According to Ojha, the Indians are keen on erasing bad memories of their visit to England. The Englishmen do not have a very good record in the sub-continent, but Ojha insisted that "past is not important". "They are a strong team, capable of bouncing back from difficult situations," he added.