Published 12:45 IST, February 26th 2020
Retiring Pragyan Ojha lionises MS Dhoni's captaincy; terms him a 'bowlers captain'
Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha on Wednesday heaped praises on his former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and termed the latter as a 'bowler's captain'.
Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha who brought curtains down on his career last week heaped praises on his former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Taking to his Twitter on February 21, Ojha wrote that the time has come for him to move on to the next phase of his life and added that the love and support of each and every individual will always remain with him and will motivate him all the time.
Ojha, who played 24 Tests and 18 ODIs between 2008 and 2013 played most of his international cricket under the captaincy of Dhoni. Speaking to a news agency, Ojha was all praises for MS Dhoni and went on the say that veteran wicketkeeper-batsman was a 'bowler's captain'. He added that a lot of bowlers praise Dhoni because of the dimensions he gives and the things that he helps the bowlers with. He cited examples of how Dhoni helped bowlers in placing the field and keeping the mind clear, which he asserted are the most essential things when you play high-intensity games.
Ojha's last competitive appearance came in November 2018 in a first-class game for Bihar. In his last appearance for India, he came up with a Man of the Match performance for his 10-wicket match haul in India's innings win over West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in 2013
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is expected to be back in action in the upcoming season of IPL. He has been on a sabbatical from the game since India's semifinal defeat to New Zealand at the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Pragyan Ojha on his retirement
The left-arm spinner decided to bring down the curtains on his cricketing career last Friday as he took to the micro-blogging site to announce the same.
''I would like to thank everyone who has been a constant support to me and this journey was a very special one and I thought this is the right time that I move on',' said Pragyan Ojha.
The 33-year-old mentioned that he had last represented India back in 2013 and after that, he was a constant member with the domestic side (Hyderabad, Bengal, and Bihar). Meanwhile, the veteran spinner also said that he has not decided what he is going to do next but the reason why he was firm with his decision to announce his retirement from the game was to give opportunities to youngsters who can fulfill their dream of representing the country.
Updated 12:45 IST, February 26th 2020