'He probably took that liberty since he knows me from childhood,' Pragyan Ojha recalls VVS Laxman's fit of anger

Former Indian cricket team left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha on Saturday shared his thoughts on the famous incident which saw VVS Laxman losing his cool against Ojha during a Test match against Australia at Mohali in 2010.

During an Instagram Live session hosted by Shanivi Sadana on Sportskeeda, Ojha walked down the memory lane and spoke about why he thought VVS Laxman lost his cool in that pressure cooker situation.

“Anybody who would’ve been in my shoes would’ve thought that such disagreements are part of the game. It wasn't about an individual, it was about the team and about the country. In that situation, a small mistake could also have cost us the game. That was the reason he lost his cool. Probably, because he knows me from childhood, he took that liberty. But, I didn’t really mind that bit as long as my team was winning,” Ojha said.

VVS Laxman made the job of the tailenders a lot more easy

Having idolized VVS Laxman from his childhood, Ojha was handed an opportunity to bat alongside the Hyderabad legend during a Test match, but in a situation which the left-arm spinner would not have wanted to be involved in even in his wildest dreams.

India were chasing 216 runs to win and the match went all the way till the final wicket, when Ojha walked in to bat with VVS Laxman at the crease. The duo managed to drag the game with India only 6 runs away from a victory, when a misunderstanding between Ojha and Suresh Raina - who was the runner for VVS Laxman - almost cost India the win.

The stylish right-hander drove the ball to mid-off and Raina came haring down the track to cross for a single. However, Ojha, who was ball-watching refused the single and a fumble allowed Raina to scamper back to safety.

VVS Laxman, generally known for his cool nature was visibly irked at Ojha's decision and lashed out at his teammate with a generous choice of words. However, the pair managed to hang around and eventually brought about a thrilling and memorable one-wicket win for India.

Ojha further even spoke about how VVS Laxman has often churned out quality knocks for the Indian cricket team, despite having to bat lower down the order and with the tailenders.

"He used to get important runs for his country and his state. He played in a very crucial position as he used to mostly play with tailenders. Though he had the security of MSD later, he still made the tailenders understand the situation and also took them along with him. That is very difficult to do and he always made it seem easy," Ojha added.