Ojha vs. Mishra

Since Anil Kumble retired from Test Cricket back in 2008, Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra have been fighting for the spot of the second-spinner. In the subcontinent, India generally plays with 2 spinners. So now, who is the better of the two?? Let us analyse their performances.

Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra started his test career brightly with a 5-wicket haul against the Aussies at Mohali. At that point he seemed to be Kumble's successor. But, an average of 40.38 in the next 6 tests suggests that he hasn't been as promising since. Being a legspinner, he struggles to keep things tight and hence leaks runs. Legspinners are always susceptible to giving away runs because of lesser control (unless you are talking about Warne or Kumble). But Mishra hasn't bagged many wickets either.

With Harbhajan Singh being the spearhead of the attack, the second spinner's job is to keep things tight at his end by not giving away runs and piling on the pressure. This is what dampens Mishra's case.

Pragyan Ojha

Pragyan Ojha came to the fore for his performances for Deccan Charges in IPL 2008. For long he was touted as a bowler for the shorter versions of the game. He first got his call-up for India in ODI's in 2008 and his ODI average is a healthy 28 in 9 games at just 4.8 rpo. He finally played his first Test in the last home series against Sri Lanka. In the three matches he has played till now, he has managed to tie down his end, allowing Harbhajan and the other strike bowlers to work the batsman out. Moreover playing him gives us a right-left combination and hence covers all angles. Plus, Ojha is a young player and playing him helps to build our Test Side for the future.

My Verdict: Ojha plays, Mishra out.