India’s bowling veteran Ashish Nehra has said he wants to play in the upcoming Champions Trophy, which takes place in England later this year. Nehra, who will turning 28 this April, said if picked, he would have a role under his sleeves to take care of.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Nehra said he has had a great success playing in England and emphasized that the bowling department has always dominated the game in those swinging conditions.
The left-armer, who has been the opening bowler for every side he has played for said he is comfortable in taking the responsibility any part of the game, be it a middle order or death overs. He further added, his experience would be all but beneficial for the young fast bowlers, who are thriving to leave their mark in international cricket.
“I would love to play in the Champions Trophy. When you go to England you will take at least four fast bowlers in addition to two spinners. I know I can bowl anywhere: up front, in the middle overs and at death. I can also share the experience I have with the other young fast bowlers.”
Having played his last 50-over match in December 2015 against Maharashtra, Nehra said it doesn’t bother him. He added he already has a blueprint of his comeback into International cricket, saying he plans to play in the forthcoming Vijay Hazare trophy to gain match fitness.
Talking about his desire to plant hard yards ahead of the 50-over mini World Cup, Nehra said he bowls around eight overs in the nets and that’s not for the fitness but to build his momentum for playing in a limited-over game.
“I aim to play at least three matches to build up my match-fitness. Fifty overs is a different challenge and Vijay Hazare is a good platform to test myself.”
“I bowl about eight overs even in the nets while preparing for a T20 match. It is not about fitness. It is about the feel of playing in a 50-over match. Once I play these matches I will be fit enough to play and good to go for the Champions Trophy.”
When asked about his thoughts of getting selected for the 2019 World Cup, Nehra seemed optimistic and said he is not going that far and is concentrating on his shape back for the Champions Trophy only.
“The 2019 World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away. We are going to play at least 50 one-dayers in between. For me every tournament is important. I will try to play as much as I can.”