Fresh from a hugely successful Test series against the West Indies, India's new spin hero Pragyan Ojha today revealed that he gained heavily from the tips of Sachin Tendulkar who helped him out with some finer points.
"Sachin always gives you that energy on the field. He advises me all the finer points like how to deceive a batsman. How to deceive in flight... His tips have helped me in getting at least 10-15 Test wickets," Ojha who is considered as a Test specialist told PTI today.
"I remembered one sentence by Sachin Tendulkar who would tell me if you love the game, you don't need anything to motivate you. I always wanted to play and that kept me going," Ojha said. "It was a very important series and a great comeback for me. The important thing was I could contribute to the team's win and played a major role. I knew it would be a very important series for me in a crucial phase of my career," he said. Ojha along with senior statemate VVS Laxman will be playing for Hyderabad in a Plate League match starting from November 29 as he is not playing ODIs. "I did not play international cricket for about one year.
But I never had that negative feeling. I always stayed positive which resulted in this performance." He termed his county stint as something that changed him as a bowler. "Even when I was not with the team and played county in England, I would practice with the Indian team touring at that point of time. In fact, Anilbhai played a key role in me getting a chance to play for Surrey. They were looking for an Indian spinner and Alec Stewart had got in touch with Anilbhai who had recommended my name. I'm really thankful to him," he recalled how his association with Surrey started.
{{/usCountry}}But I never had that negative feeling. I always stayed positive which resulted in this performance." He termed his county stint as something that changed him as a bowler. "Even when I was not with the team and played county in England, I would practice with the Indian team touring at that point of time. In fact, Anilbhai played a key role in me getting a chance to play for Surrey. They were looking for an Indian spinner and Alec Stewart had got in touch with Anilbhai who had recommended my name. I'm really thankful to him," he recalled how his association with Surrey started.
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