Bhubaneswar, July 12 (Odisha.in) Orissa gave warm welcome to Cricketer Pragyan Ojha who arrived in state capital Bhubaneswar Friday for the first time after his selection in Indian cricket team.
Hundreds of fans and sports lover greeted him with flowers in the air port, in Saheed sporting club and wherever he moved. Students, children took his autographs.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik also congratulated him in the state secretariate and wished him all success. “We are proud of you” Patnaik told him.
“I feel very nice to be in my home state and the welcome I got is outstanding” 21 years old Ojha who is in his final year of Bachelor of commerce told Odisha.in.
I will work hard and will cement my position in the team” he said after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the state secretariate.
Incidentally Pragyan was born on Friday and the day he arrived in his home city of Bhubaneswar after selection in Indian cricket team was also a Friday.
Like every cricketer I too had dreams to play in national team and it came true” he said. “it is a great feeling for me that I got the opportunity” the left arm spinner said.
Born in Khordha near state capital Bhubaneswar, Ojha started his career in cricket after becoming a member of the Saheed sporting club.
He played many junior tournaments in the state for the club from 1996 to 2000. He had gone to Hyderabad for higher studies, but eventually became a promising cricketer.
His family lives in state capital Bhubaneswar. His father, Maheswar Ojha, works in the Orissa government and his mother, Bidulata, is a homemaker. His younger brother, Prateek, is in college in Hyderabad.
“My son was an average student and we wanted him to become doctor or engineer. We had sent him to Hyderabad for study.
However he was attracted to cricket and we never thought he love for cricket will bring him such a happier moment” his father said. We are proud of him, he said.
Pragyan is the fourth cricketer from Orissa to be selected to play in the Indian cricket team after Shiv Sunder Das, Debashis Mohanty and Sanjay Roul.
Pragyan wants to learn tricks from Muttiah Muralitharan
During my Sri Lanka tour I will try to meet ace off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and will ask him how he could remain success for such a longer period. “Really I want to learn tips from him” Ojha said. Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the world’s premier bowlers.
