Analysis

Ranking top 7 unlucky Indian cricketers

Good is not enough to be in the Indian cricket team.

Aug 27, 2023 10:00 am

6. Pragyan Ojha

Pragyan Ojha is unlucky cricketer who failed to showcase his talent at international level. — Pragyan Ojha (Source: Twitter)

The left-arm off-spinner was like a bridge between the likes of the duo Anil Kumble-Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin-Ravindra Jadeja. In the period 2009-2013, Ojha was India’s main Test spinner and claimed 113 wickets in 24 matches including 7 five-wicket hauls. Ojha was touted to be the next big thing in Indian cricket.

The left-arm orthodox spinner played a crucial part in India’s home Test wins in the early 2010s. But the emergence of the duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja put pressure on Ojha, as the other two could bat as well. Ojha was only a spinner and could not bat, which did not help the balance of the side.

The fact that Ojha did not have a secondary skill, which Jadeja and Aswin possessed, led to him being neglected by the captain and the management. In his last Test match in Wankhede, which was also the last international match of Sachin Tendulkar, Ojha won the Player of the Match award with a 10-wicket haul and never played again for India!