New Delhi: Ashish Nehra, former pace spearhead who along with Zaheer Khan formed a deadly combination of left arm swing bowling has performed exceptionally well in the recently held eighth edition of IPL. The pacer grabbed the eyeballs of both cricket fans and experts as the left arm bowled with the old zing that he is known for while playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise.
In an exclusive interview to India TV he spoke on various issues including his present form, his chances of playing for Team India and what, according to him, is the way ahead for the new crop of pacers of Team India.
Here are the excerpts of this interview:
Q: What is the secret behind your success in IPL?
Nehra: There is no secret as I have not made any significant changes in my bowling action. The only defence this time was that I took more wickets as a result of which I got noticed. In India, people focus on age rather than performance. I believe a player who is performing well must be appreciated.
Q: How Do you motivate yourself even after being kept out of Team India for so long?
Nehra: It is difficult to keep motivating oneself at this stage and the most important thing is to enjoy the game. It hurts in spite of performing well if you are not a part of Team India. I have not been playing international cricket for the last 5-6 years and that is the reason I am planning to play more and more cricket
Q: CSK skipper MS Dhoni always looked up to you in the death overs?
Nehra: It feels good if the skipper of Team India has trust that I can bowl well in death overs. I have done it before also in 2009, 2010, 2011. I have bowled both in powerplay as well as in the death overs which has helped me a lot in my cricketing career.
Q: Do you think “Dhoni as skipper” has helped you?
Nehra: Dhoni has this ability to bring out the best from his players. He knows how and when to utilise them. He always injects confidence into the player.
