Yes, I'm confident of a Test comeback: Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha has been quite clinical behind the stumps for his franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. The side led by David Warner has had a fantastic season so far, sitting at the top of the points table.

The 31-year-old says that the team has clicked as a unit and that’s the reason behind the success.

“We’ve got some good fast bowlers. Our batting, bowling, and fielding all are clicking at the right time. Clicking at the right time is most important. Everybody is really good in this tournament, but the key is when you click as a unit, and in what situation. That is happening with us this year.”

The focus also shifted on him after he took some brilliant catches at crucial moments. Ojha believes that it is the consistency has been the key for him.

“I think I’m consistent with my wicket-keeping for last 4-5 years. Even in the last IPL, my wicket-keeping was clinical. Even in domestic cricket, I have been really neat behind the stumps.

The Madhya Pradesh wicket keeper also shared his thought about franchises opting for non-regular keepers in the team.

“It depends on the team management, but I think wicket-keeping is a very important position. And a regular wicketkeeper should fulfill that requirement, not someone who doesn’t keep regularly. Chances will come in crucial times. If you take it, it’s good for the team.”

The wicket-keeper batsman has been prolific in domestic cricket and has been knocking the selector’s door for quite a while. The right-handed batsman has been one of the highest scoring wicketkeeper-batsman in the first-class cricket for the last four-five years but hasn’t got many opportunities to prove his talent on the international stage.

He said, “Yes, it is frustrating. I’ve done well in India ‘A’ series, in domestic cricket for 6-7 years. I’ve got more than 8,000 runs in first-class cricket. What can I say? They (selectors) said that they want a good wicketkeeper, not a batsman. So I improved my keeping. Then they told me that ‘no we want a good batsman also’. I’ve done that also. The focus keeps shifting, whatever I do well, they shift the focus on the other things. That I can’t help. Plus, I’m from a smaller state, so that works against me more than others.”

Ojha made his Test debut last year during the Sri Lanka tour but hasn’t been able to cement his place in the team. A long season of Test cricket is and the Ojha is focusing on a comeback.

“Yes, I’m confident of a Test comeback, definitely. I’ve played one Test in Sri Lanka, and I’ve done really well in that. I got a crucial partnership with the bat and did very good behind the stumps as well. I took some good catches at crucial times. So I’m very confident that with my form in this IPL with the gloves, I’ll get a look in. There are 13 Test matches next year, so my focus is on that,” quipped Ojha.