[Exclusive] MS Dhoni should play IPL for as long as he wishes to, his contribution is immense: Pragyan Ojha

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha, whose career spanned over four years, featured in 24 Tests, 18 ODIs, and six T20Is, and took 113, 21, and 10 wickets, respectively. Ojha is once again ready to let his bowling do all the talking in the third edition of the Legends League Cricket 2024. The left-arm spinner is representing the defending champions Manipal Tigers under captain, Harbhajan Singh. In the previous edition, the Orissa-born played for Urbanrisers Hyderabad and picked one wicket in two games. 

In an exclusive interview with CricTracker, he spoke about his feelings about reuniting with his old friends through LLC. He also spoke about his prospects of playing in other leagues apart from LLC. The veteran spinner opened up on the fitness revolution in the Indian cricketing system. Ojha picked three players who will take Indian cricket forward in the coming years. The 38-year-old also reflected on his most special moment from his entire cricketing career.

Excerpts

1. How are your preparations for LLC with Manipal Tigers?

Right now everything is going very well. Getting a chance to spend time with your old friends and seniors [feels very good]. Practicing here, playing matches - for a cricketer nothing is a better feeling than that.

2. In the future, can we see you play in some other league apart from LLC? 

I don't know that right now. The profession I am in has become a little different, other avenues have also opened [up] like broadcasting. But when you play, you think that whenever you go to play a tournament, you should be 100% fit for it. And if you are in the 40-plus age category, then fitness is very important there, so keeping that in mind you have to plan.

3. Virat Kohli had set a template for cricketers in fitness. After him, which Indian player will have a long Test career?

If you go back 15-20 years ago, you would find one, two, or three players who were supremely fit. After that, Virat Kohli came and set a culture which not only the Indian team but if you see domestic cricket, local cricket, or club cricket, boys are fit because he has left that kind of an impact on them. So, I think that now all the boys who are coming here are fit, their benchmark has gone up. If you talk about the Yo-Yo test or power training, then the benchmark of boys which was ten years ago has gone up by 20%. Look Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant, these three boys will take the Indian team forward.

4. Who can be the next biggest Indian off-spinner after R Ashwin In Test cricket?

If we talk about Test cricket, then I think the bowler you are looking for, you will find in domestic cricket. You will have to see who is that bowler in domestic cricket who regularly bowls fifty-seventy overs with the red ball. This is because always the last column does not matter.

How you are bowling, and how much control you have is very important. So we will have to find out how many more spinners are like that. If you see, very few names come to your mind like Washington Sundar, but I think we will have to make a bench strength. I don't know when he will [retire].

[But by then] you should have three or four options. If there are one or two, then you will struggle a bit, so I think BCCI took a very good decision by saying that if you are a senor player and are not playing international cricket, then you should play domestic cricket. If you see through this many young boys get motivation to play domestic cricket.

5. Who can be India;s all-format captain in future?

There is Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, but for me, Rishabh Pant is very interesting.

6. Which will be that one memorable moment from your cricketing career that you will never forget? 

Getting my Test cap from Sachin Tendulkar. I think this was the best moment. Firstly you are entering Test cricket and secondly, you are being handed your cap from the person who has led India for so many years.

6. How long will MS Dhoni play in the IPL?

As long as he wants because it is franchise cricket then there is a discussion between the owner and the captain and the senior players. If he is fit, and if they want him to play, then he can play because his contribution is immense.