The second half of this year has been highly productive for Naman Ojha. The Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman was recently part of the Indian squad for the Adelaide Test as a back-up ’keeper.
Ojha also had a very good tour of Australia with India ‘A’ a few months ago, leading the batting charts with 430 runs from three innin’gs in two unofficial Tests.
He followed it up with a double century in the Duleep Trophy for Central Zone against North Zone.
But these performances did not fetch him a spot in the list of probables for the World Cup. Asked whether he felt disappointed, Ojha said, “My job is to perform well and I did that commandingly. I am very happy with my performance.”
He added, “In the first ‘Test’, I got an unbeaten double century and in the second innings I helped save the match, batting two sessions with (Ambati) Rayudu and scoring an unbeaten century.
“I even got a double century in the Duleep Trophy. What else can I do? My job is to score well and the rest is up to God.”
When asked how he approached the ‘A’ tour and his experience playing there, Ojha said, “I just tried to get the basics right.
“The Australian ‘A’ side was strong with very good bowlers like James Faulkner and Nathan Lyon playing.
“You don’t have to think hard. Even if you don’t score runs it doesn’t mean you stop working on your basics.”