I can play for another couple of years, says Ashish Nehra
What's the story?
Veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has been hogging the limelight over the last few days after his recall to the Indian team for the T20Is against Australia starting on October 7 in Ranchi.
After the announcement, Nehra, in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, admitted that his body is not happy with him still playing the sport. He also conceded that he can play for at least two more years but it depends on the state of his body.
"The only one thing that is not happy that I am still playing is my body. I can play for another couple of years but it isn’t easy for a fast bowler at 38-39, especially considering the state of my body. But I am just trying my level best. When you are young you don’t understand these things, you don’t understand the value of playing for India," Nehra said.
"In the last 7-8 years I missed so much cricket, maybe you can say I am trying to catch that up. You can never go back, but for the last 4-5 years I am pushing myself and I am getting the results. My body has let me down, that’s why I am so upset with my body at times. I am a firm believer that if my body is okay I can still play and deliver. That’s why I am always aware of my body," he added.
In case you didn't know...
Indian selectors made three changes to the squad that faced the Aussies in the ODI series as they left out the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami and recalled Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra and Dinesh Karthik.
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Nehra, who made a comeback to the Indian side after five years in 2016, has been a regular in the Indian T20I side and was very instrumental in the team making it to the semi-final of the World T20 last year.
Since then, he got injured and missed the T20Is against West Indies before making a comeback against England earlier this year. The 38-year-old is again in the national team and his inclusion has been the talk of the town over the last few days.
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Author's Take
Credit has to be given to Ashish Nehra for his determination that helped him earn a place in the Indian team. The 38-year-old is still a better bowler in the format when compared to most of the others around the world.
As he said, if his body responds well, why not play for two more years?