Time and again Ashish Nehra has proved that age is just a number of him. The veteran pacer made a comeback to the Indian team earlier this year after a long wait of five years and hit the ground running straight away.
However, just like the previous times, his stunning comeback was halted this time too as he had to go under the knife twice for his injured knee and hamstring after last year’s Indian Premier League. The left-arm pacer returned to action during the T20 series against England earlier this year and considering his performance, one can say he is still capable enough to lead India’s pace attack in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. But before that he will have to ensure he remains fit during the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
Meanwhile, the injury-prone pacer feels that being injured and being unfit are different things.
Speaking to the Times of India, Nehra said:“In our country, things are misinterpreted. Look at poor Mohammad Shami. He last played an ODI for India in the 2015 World Cup. He is either struggling with hamstring or his knee. But that is injury . That doesn’t mean he is unfit. Unfit is someone who gasps for breath in training. Even I had freak injuries but Ashish Nehra has always been associated with injuries.”
The veteran bowler pulled out of Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy squad as a precaution after experiencing a groin niggle. However, he is not thinking too much about the future and is just concentrating on the immediate assignment which is the IPL.
“I can’t play IPL keeping Champions Trophy in mind. There’s every possibility that I may break down after the first training session itself,”he said. “IPL is tougher than international T20s. If I am feeling good then I might play all 14 games otherwise you also look at the situation of the team.”
The left-arm pacer is one of the finest bowlers in the country for almost the entirety of his career. However, his brittle body never allowed him to show his full potential. The 37-year old’s last Test appearance came way back in 2004 and he does regret it.
“After 2007, I played Ranji in 2011-12. When I look back, I played six Ranji matches in six weeks n 2013. Maybe between 2009 and 2013, I could have played Test cricket. But then, you learn from mistakes and the decisions you have taken,” he said.
Shedding some more light on fitness in the game, Nehra added:“Cricket fitness is different from gym fitness and it varies with individuals. MS Dhoni’s cricket fitness has been amazing. Gym fitness is done to top up cricket fitness and not the other way round. You must go to the gym but you can do it in the off-season. And there’s no off-season these days. I can’t be off bowling for 15 days.”
Talking about his role in the team, Nehra said he is looking forward to sharing his vast wealth of experience with the young crop of players.
“Now, I would say I have more responsibility than pressure, given my age. My responsibility is to do well, obviously , and to help the other bowlers and teammates. I have to put in more and stay involved more than what it used to be earlier. Now, there’s only MS and me who are veterans. You can help everybody by sharing your experience and keeping them calm. It’s not always about giving technical inputs,” he said.