Pragyan Ojha Announces Retirement From International And First-Class Cricket

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket on Friday. The left-arm spinner took to Twitter to confirm his decision. One of the best left-arm spinners in the country in the last two decades or so, Pragyan Ojha last played for India in 2013.

His final appearance came in Sachin Tendulkar’s last-ever Test that was against West Indies in Mumbai. While he represented India in all the three formats, it was his performance in Tests that caught everyone’s attention. With Harbhajan Singh struggling, India tried out Ojha with Ashwin and the move paid off.’

In 10 Test matches in the 2011/2012 season, he took five wickets or more nine times. He was also the highest wicket taker for India with 20 wickets in the 1-2 series loss to England, but unfortunately lost his place to Ravindra Jadeja in the very next series against Australia at home in 2013. He was later recalled but was soon dropped again and did not earn any recall after the Test against West Indies in November 2013.

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After making his international debut in 2008,  Pragyan Ojha played 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and 6 T20Is for India. He picked up 113 Test wickets, 21 ODI wickets and 10 T20I wickets. In first-class cricket, he took 424 wickets in 108 games. His last appearance in first-class cricket came in 2018 when he played for Bihar against Uttarakhand.

He also played for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-arm spinner played a big role when the Deccan Chargers won their first IPL title in 2009. Later, he played for Mumbai Indians too. His final appearance in the IPL came in 2015. Pragyan Ojha played 92 games in IPL and took a total of 89 wickets.

“It’s time I move on to the next phase of my life. The love and support of each and every individual will always remain with me and motivate me all the time,” Pragyan Ojha wrote on Twitter while confirming his retirement.

It’s time I move on to the next phase of my life. The love and support of each and every individual will always remain with me and motivate me all the time ?? pic.twitter.com/WoK0WfnCR7

— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) February 21, 2020