Having called it quits at the highest level at the age of only 33, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha seeks permission from the BCCI to be able to ply his trade in overseas short-format leagues, including the T10 and 'The Hundred' competitions.
The board has had a strict stance on the matter, with no active Indian player allowed to play in non-IPL leagues. But the window is open for cricketers who have formally retired from domestic and international game.
Read Also: "I might have fallen back as Jadeja offered different dimension to the team" - Ojha
Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan (both T10 league) and Yuvraj Singh (Global T20 Canada league) have been able to play outside post their retirement.
Out-of-favour cricketers like Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa have been urging the BCCI to allow non-contractual players to also play those leagues.
"I'm trying to go and play in some leagues outside India. Definitely, I'm looking to do that, hopefully, things work out," Ojha told sports commentator Arun Venugopal on his Instagram Live show 'Homerun With AV.'
"Before anything could happen this lockdown (due to COVID-19 pandemic) just stopped us all, everything is stopped. Once this is done and everything is back to normal, which I doubt, it won't be the same normal that we are used to, but we'll see how things are and how to go about it."
"It totally depends on if we can get permission from BCCI. I will talk to BCCI whenever the time comes. Right now nobody knows what's happening. But I'll definitely request BCCI to consider this, because I can go and play and enjoy myself," he added.
Ojha's India career came to an abrupt end despite taking ten wickets in his last Test against West Indies in 2013 in Mumbai, also Sachin Tendulkar's last Test.
The left-arm spinner also had doubts raised over the legality of his action, following which he returned with a remodeled action.
He moved from Hyderabad to Bengal and then Bihar at the domestic level, making vital contributions with the ball for his teams.
Ojha tried his best to break the door open for himself once again, but the rise of Ravindra Jadeja, someone offering more with the bat, meant the comeback never happened.
"I'm very happy that I ended up playing for my country and I became a Test cricketer. Saying that, I would have loved to play more Test matches. That's how it is. You want to play more and more for your country. I am thankful to god that I ended up being a Test cricketer," Ojha said.
"I think it (retirement) was more because... till I was playing for Bengal and Hyderabad, it was good. But when I went to play for Bihar, I realised, if I have to play in the Plate group, I don't think I'm trying to compete or play at the higher level. Suddenly I realised I should not be just fooling around, this is something that has given me everything and I shouldn't end up being frustrated or not happy."
"I wanted to gracefully move away. I have always seen a lot of people end on a bitter side when they push too much. I didn't want to reach there. I never wanted any bitter feeling about my cricket career," he concluded.
(Inputs from CricketNext)
