Harbhajan Singh reveals the reason behind Ashish Nehra's longevity in the game
What’s the story?
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has said a high skill level and a thorough knowledge of his body were the key reasons for fast bowler Ashish Nehra’s longevity in the game.The 36-year-old, who was part of the same bowling attack as Nehra during the early 2000s, added that he understood the kind of pain the Delhiite has endured during the course of his career.
“High skill level, analytical mind and thorough knowledge about his own body that has helped him sustain for so long.
“His skill level is in a different league. Like Virat Kohli can gauge what a bowler will bowl and exactly what shot he will hit, Ashish exactly knows what a batsman can hit if he bowls a particular delivery and sets the field accordingly. I know the amount of pain he has gone through but what helped him is knowing his body,” Harbhajan said.
In case you didn’t know..
The Indian selection committee, led by Sandeep Patil, recalled the 37-year-old left-arm paceman to the team for the T20I series against Australia last year and since then, Nehra has been in the scheme of things for the shortest format of the game.
The heart of the matter
Never during his 18-year-old career has Nehra been omitted from the side because of a poor run of form and it has always been injuries which have hampered him right from the beginning of his career.
However, the cricketer has battled his way all through that and now is not just continuing to excel in the shortest format, but is also playing the role of a mentor on the field to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya etc, very well.
What’s next?
For Nehra to harbour hopes of playing for a few more days, it is absolutely essential for him to keep his body in top shape and not over burden himself. Last year, we saw him get injured during the IPL and that put him out of action for the remainder of the year and so this time around, he will need to ensure he plays the entire season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad by conserving his energies accordingly.
Sportskeeda’s take
It is really inspiring to see a player like Nehra continue to show great hunger and desire to play for the country, despite having suffered so many injuries during his career. While it looks very difficult for Nehra to play any other format apart from T20s, there is no doubting the value he continues to bring to the present Indian side.