Pragyan Ojha has played five one-dayers for India and is now in the Test squad. Joseph Antony’s impressions after visiting the left-arm spinner in his home.
Pragyan Ojha is the synthesis of simplicity and sophistication. His toothy smile breaks out at the drop of a hat. He’s candid at times and quite endearing without the airs the cricketing tribe is prone to acquire over time. A folksy Oriya song greets callers to his mobile even if he prefers listening to heavy metal bands Iron Maiden and Metallica on his I-pod.
The maid who answers the bell at his fifth floor apartment near Sainikpuri in Secunderabad is wary of visitors. Opening the door just enough to show her wide-eyed visage, she slams it shut promptly, returning with instructions from the lady of the house.
Over the doorway, the Mother of Auroville gazes benignly. Portraits of gods on almost every wall of the three-bedroom flat reveal a religious household. Swami Vivekananda’s slogan, ‘Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God — this is the secret of greatness,’ occupies pride of place in the left-arm spinner’s room. For the finer things of life, he does have a feel. The perfumes bear Parisian brandnames, their heady fragrances only adding allure to their exquisitely shaped bottles. The array of mobile phones, mostly gifted to him, is eye-catching as are snazzy sunglasses ranging from Armani to Gucci, sharing space with trophies and mementos.
Perched on the loft are several pairs of shoes provided by his sponsor, a shoe and sports goods firm. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suitcases with his name embossed on them go into a huddle with kitbags bearing markings of the Indian, Hyderabad and Deccan Chargers teams.
“Gibbs (Herschelle) had us in splits, even when we finished at the bottom of the table,” he recalls of Deccan’s dismal showing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). “When we were depressed, here was Gibbs’ humour that definitely worked as a mood-elevator,” the southpaw reminisced.
A gold medal from the Idea Cup triumph in Sri Lanka dangles from the roof of another almirah, where clothes are stacked neatly. His practice gear occupies the lowest shelf, while a souvenir he treasures sits on a rack of Team India caps. Foremost among them is one, scrawled across which are autographs of the nation’s one-day squad that came up trumps on the exotic island. A Team India T-shirt carries signatures of the nation’s Test greats, including cricketer-statesmen Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly.
Ojha’s brother Prateek is hooked to a Telugu movie on a wall-mounted LCD TV facing a soft and spongy sofa set. The bespectacled younger sibling is also interested in books and studies. Tiny speakers dot the drawing room wall, streaming in every strain of music from a Bose home theatre. The ubiquitous bean bag is not far behind for pals to plonk themselves in.
They don’t take long to arrive either, their access to him easy and available anytime. Sanal S. Menon, a neighbour earlier, remembers the cricket played in the lanes of their old housing colony, sometimes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. One of the gang took the game so seriously that he dived on the road and suffered bruises.
On another occasion, a challenge went out as to who could smash a certain window. ‘Ozzie,’ as friends call Ojha, earned the dubious distinction. No sooner was the glass pane shattered than the group did the disappearing act, splitting from the scene in seconds !
Friendships are fast, as with Hyderabad teammate M. P. Arjun, the duo invariably sharing a room on their tours. After the IPL, the left-arm spinner hit it off famously with Rohit Sharma and Halhadhar Das. “The Idea Cup triumph was memorable, followed by much fun and a night out of celebration,” says Ojha.
The tweaker, born on Teachers Day, enjoys Holi especially, but hasn’t been able to celebrate for the past three years owing to his cricketing travels. The game may have led him to read too. Robin Sharma’s ‘The Monk who sold his Ferrari’ was incidentally given to him by Robin Uthappa.
His recent selection to the National Test squad necessitated a change, in his appearance that is. The sedate hairstyle gave way to a messy look, held in place by gel. While Ojha is not the typical Gen Next icon, it may not take him long to get there.
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