Former Indian pacer and Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling coach Ashish Nehra has backed Indian Premier League participation of Indian players before the ICC World Cup 2019. There are reports doing the rounds that the Indian player’s workload should be managed with guile. Nehra believes the more a particular player plays, the better he will get.
Meanwhile, Ashish Nehra believes skipping the whole Indian Premier League is not a good idea. Nehra feels if a particular player is feeling tired then he can be rested for a couple of matches. Consequently, it is imperative to have a good back-up. On the other hand, Virat Kohli has also stated that Indian players should be smart in managing their workloads.
Nehra gives preference to IPL participation.
“I am a firm believer, not only as a fast bowler but even as a cricketer, that the more you play, you will get better,” said Ashish Nehra in Bangalore on Saturday. “If a player is saying that ‘I’m feeling fatigued and I’m feeling tired and I need a break for two games’, then so be it. That’s why you need a good back up. I got injured in World Cup semi-final and after that, I didn’t play the IPL. This debate will always be there – country first or club first. Here you have a responsibility to the franchise also.
In fact, Nehra believes it is not going to be easy to hit the ground running in the World Cup without playing in the Indian Premier League. Furthermore, Nehra feels it makes sense to play in the pressure situations which the players often encounter while playing in the IPL.
“If somebody tells Virat Kohli that you are not playing this IPL, come fresh for the World Cup, I don’t think it’s the right way. If he’s only practising, that practice is different. But IPL is a pressure tournament, it is as good as international cricket, that’s why everybody wants to play… so you are going to the World Cup through that pressure. If I’m a bowler, I keep bowling yorkers or keep bowling good length balls, I have to do the same thing in the World Cup. But if I’m sitting at home, and have not played cricket for six weeks, and some XYZ is going to think I’m going to deliver in the World Cup, it’s wrong.”
IPL is a tough competition.
Indian Premier League is a tough competition in which the players are expected to be on their toes. Meanwhile, Ashish Nehra believes if the player is not injured then three weeks is more than sufficient to get back into the groove.
“If you’re not injured, three weeks is enough time. If someone tells me, ‘you bowl in the IPL final today and then for the next three weeks you don’t bowl, and then bowl straight away against South Africa’, I would not like to do that. Active rest is very important for anyone. Doesn’t matter how tired Virat Kohli is…he might stay away from the nets for maybe a week, or 10 days at most. The last 11 days, he wants to have 7-8 sessions. So in the end it’s all about how the individual is feeling.
“The more you play the better you get. I can understand if the IPL final is on the 12th and the first World Cup game is on the 16th, then you might feel Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar or Shami…they have played 10-11 IPL games and they are not comfortable. Some bowlers may come up to me and say, we are fresh, the more we play the better we feel. Some won’t say that. Everyone is different. As the tournament progresses, we will see.”
The Indian Premier League final is expected to be on 12th May. Thus, the players will have time to rest before the World Cup begins on May 30. India will begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on 5th June at Southampton.