Pragyan Ojha Shares Rohit Sharma’s Best Advice and Talks About Bowling to Chris Gayle
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 6: Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha recently shared the most valuable advice he received from Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. Ojha, who played for India from 2008 to 2013, participated in 24 Test matches and 18 One Day Internationals (ODIs), taking 113 and 21 wickets respectively. He also took 10 wickets in six T20 Internationals (T20Is) for India.
Ojha and Rohit Sharma have a long history of playing together, including age-group cricket. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Ojha revealed that Rohit advised him during their U19 cricket days to stand out as a match-winner. “The best advice I received was from Rohit Sharma when we were playing U19 cricket. He said, ‘Everyone wants to play for the country because we have come at the U19 level. But if you want to play for India for a long time, then you need to be a match-winner,'” Ojha shared.
Ojha also discussed the toughest player he bowled to during his career, naming West Indies icon Chris Gayle, especially in T20 format, as a challenging opponent. “Chris Gayle, especially in the T20 format. Because of the way in which he bats against left-arm spin and leg-spin, it was difficult. I used to relish the challenge of bowling to him and used to increase my intensity. However, off the field you know Chris Gayle is a funny person and always keeps the atmosphere light,” Ojha said.
Currently, the Indian cricket team is engaged in a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. India trails 1-0 in the series after losing the second match by 32 runs. In the second ODI, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 240/9 in 50 overs, with notable contributions from Avishka Fernando (40), Kamindu Mendis (40), and Dunith Wellalage (39). Washington Sundar (3/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/33) were the top bowlers for India.
During India’s run chase, Rohit Sharma (66) and Shubman Gill (35) started strong with a 97-run partnership. However, a game-changing spell from Jeffrey Vandersay (6/33) reduced India to 147/6. Despite Axar Patel’s (44) efforts, India was all out for 208 runs in 42.2 overs. Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka (3/20) also delivered a fine performance with the ball.
Doubts Revealed
Pragyan Ojha -: Pragyan Ojha is a former Indian cricketer who was known for his spin bowling. Spin bowling is a type of bowling in cricket where the ball is made to spin, making it difficult for the batsman to hit.
Rohit Sharma -: Rohit Sharma is a famous Indian cricketer and the captain of the Indian cricket team. He is known for his excellent batting skills and has scored many runs for India in various matches.
Chris Gayle -: Chris Gayle is a cricketer from the West Indies, known for his powerful hitting in T20 cricket. T20 is a shorter format of cricket where each team plays 20 overs.
T20 -: T20, or Twenty20, is a format of cricket where each team plays 20 overs. An over consists of 6 balls bowled by a bowler. T20 matches are shorter and more exciting.
ODI -: ODI stands for One Day International, a format of cricket where each team plays 50 overs. It is called ‘One Day’ because the match is completed in a single day.
Sri Lanka -: Sri Lanka is a country in South Asia, known for its cricket team. The Sri Lankan cricket team is one of the strong teams in international cricket.
Shubman Gill -: Shubman Gill is a young Indian cricketer who is known for his batting skills. He is considered one of the future stars of Indian cricket.
