Comeback was tougher than making debut, says Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra made a comeback to the Indian cricket team recently after almost five years. He is 36-year-old now and making a comeback is this age is almost near to impossible especially for pace bowlers because young crops shining every now and then.
Speaking today during the open press conference in Kolkata before leaving for Bangladesh to play Asia Cup T20, the veteran Indian pacer said that it is tougher to make a comeback than making a debut.
"It's very difficult to make a comeback. Comebacks are much more difficult than debuts. I've made a comeback after 36," said Nehra.
Nehra was one of the leading wicket-taker in the 2015 IPL edition and his performance in the domestic also couldn’t go unnoticed. After being ignored for almost five years, he finally got the breakthrough in the team during India’s recent visit to Australia. He said it’s always tough for the fast bowlers to keep performing.
"It's not easy for pacers to keep performing day in and day out. There will be pressure. You have to keep working hard. I train to play international cricket, not aim to play only domestic cricket," said Nehra.
He picked seven wickets in the T20I series against Australia and Sri Lanka and was paid for the same work with his selection for Asia Cup and ICC World T20 team.
"You don't play many T20Is. IPL is a great help for us when it comes to T20 cricket. You get used to it as a bowler. You just practice accordingly. It's not a big deal for me. I'm somebody bowling up front or one or two overs in the death. The more you play, the better you become," he said.
When asked about his chemistry with young pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Nehra said, "It's a good experience. It is not that I always tell him the things. We are two completely different kind of bowlers... different actions. We're having a good partnership. Hopefully, we can do well in next couple of months."
He continued and said that everyone has to contribute in the game whether he is a junior or a senior.
"I don't believe in that but everybody has to contribute. On the field, I always try to talk to Hardik (Pandya) and I'm happy to do that job. Everybody has seen what Bumrah and Pandya have done recently," he concluded.