Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha celebrates his 34th birthday on Saturday (September 4). Hailing from Orissa, Ojha is considered as one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers as he didn’t get many chances despite performing well. The left-arm spinner was able to turn the ball a long way, and the buckets of variations in his arsenal made him even more effective. Owing to his prowess, Ojha even was a vital cog of Indian Test team in home matches and his record is impressive too. Apart from thriving in the longest format, Ojha also proved his mettle in Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played for (now defunct) Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians.  Pragyan Ojha Thanks MS Dhoni for Being Constant Guide.

Ojha burst onto the scenes in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008 where he played for the Adam Gilchrist-led Deccan Chargers. Despite the presence of RP Singh and Chaminda Vaas, the left-arm spinner had the onus to bowl the crunch overs of the game. He didn’t leak too many runs and also had the knack of picking wickets regularly. Many touted the youngster as a one-season wonder after his empathic performance. However, Ojha silenced his critics by tormenting the batsmen in IPL 2009, which took place in South Africa. He scalped 18 wickets from 15 games and played a pivotal role in guiding his team to the title.

He continued to shine as he scalped 21 wickets in IPL 2010 and received the purple cap for being the highest wicket-taker. In 2012, Ojha was bought by Mumbai Indians where he didn’t get a lot of chances due to the presence of Harbhajan Singh. Nevertheless, he still was the part of the MI team which lifted the title in 2013 and 2015. As Ojha turns a year older, let’s revisit some of his best IPL performances. Pragyan Ojha Retires from All Forms of Cricket.

3/21 vs Mumbai Indians in 2009

The Durban track looked batting friendly as Deccan Chargers posted 168/9 while batting first. In the second innings, however, Ojha spun his web around the Mumbai Indians batsmen and put his side on the driver’s seat. He dismissed the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan and JP Duminy in quick succession as the Mumbai-based team could only manage 156/7, losing the game by 12 runs.

3/26 vs Chennai Super Kings in 2011

Veterans like Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma were smashed all over the park when Deccan Chargers met Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk. However, Ojha kept his nerves calm and bowled a sensational spell. He didn’t just bowl economically but also took the wickets of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. His efforts, however, went in vain as Deccan Chargers lost the game by 19 runs.

3/28 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009

Adam Gilchrist and Co could only manage 143/6 while batting first in the IPL 2009 finals in Johannesburg. RCB’s victory looked set on the cards, but Ojha had other plans. He dismissed the in-form Manish Pandey cheaply before sending Roelf van der Merwe to the pavilion. The Bangalore-based team couldn’t recover from the early blows as the Chargers won the game by six runs and lifted the prestigious title.

3/11 vs Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013

Another Pragyan Ojha special was witnessed during the MI vs CSK group-stage match in IPL 2013. MI were restricted to 139-5 while batting first in Mumbai. However, drama was still left in the game as Ojha bowled a staggering spell. He dismissed the in-form trio of Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja as CSK were bundled out for 79 and lost the match by 60 runs.

Ojha finally bid farewell to the game in 2018 but not before scalping 89 wickets from 92 IPL games. After announcing retirement, the spinner donned the commentator’s hat and gave his voice in many matches.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2020 08:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).