‘Everyone plays to their strengths’ – Pragyan Ojha on ‘rank turners an act of desperation from India to reach WTC final' remark

Australia built momentum against India from the first day of the fourth Test itself. Opener Usman Khawaja smashed a stunning century as Australia posted 255/4 on Day 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Besides, Khawaja, all-rounder Cameron Green scored 49 runs in just 64 balls by the time of stumps at Day 1. He was eventually dismissed on Day 2 after scoring 114 off 170.

The debates related to the pitches have continued even though the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is nearing its end. Earlier it was the Indore pitch that was in focus and now it is the track in Ahmedabad Notably, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch of the Holkar Stadium as ‘poor’. Meanwhile, India has been criticised by former cricketers for preparing turning pitches as a desperate act to make it to the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Former India cricketer Pragyan Ojha was asked about his opinion on the same, and the veteran pointed out that it is just a strategy followed by the team and that makes the game exciting. He reckoned that playing Test is about adapting to challenging conditions that are different than those offered at home.

“What is the definition of Test cricket? It is a test of your skill, and your mental and physical strength. The beauty of home and away series is that when you go to somebody's home, you face a different challenge which you have not faced. When we go to SENA countries the challenges are different, similarly for those teams when they come to India. In SENA countries, the wickets are slightly greener, there is some lateral movement,” Ojha told Hindustan Times.

“In Australia there is a little bit of bounce. In the subcontinent, the track helps the spinners. So calling India desperate in that aspect, I wouldn't agree to it because everyone has the option of playing to their strength. It's just a strategy and it helps in making the game more exciting. I really like the way Rohit Sharma said, when you play a full five-day Test match, there is a lot of people have said that the wickets were not good in other countries and it was not giving any result, so when you get result and see some excitement in the game, that is what you are here for,” he added.

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