Old warhorse Nehra turns the clock back

Sabi Hussain 

Tribune News Service

Ranchi, May 22

The Indian cricket fans would best remember Ashish Nehra as a talented left-armer who had the skills to establish himself as one of the most feared pacers in the world but never had the body to survive the rigours of the modern day cricket.

People have long forgotten his memorable spell in the 2003 World Cup where he had blown away England with the career-best figures of 6 for 23 in Durban. 

After he was ignored by the selectors following India's triumph in the 50-over World Cup in 2011, many felt his time was up. Although he put in some strong performances at the domestic level in Ranji Trophy's 2013 and 2014 seasons, he was never really in the reckoning.

His fragile body would always be a topic of discussion on the social media. In fact when Nehra was picked by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 2 crore last year, Twitter was abuzz with shock reactions.  “With all that money from IPL auction, an injury-prone Nehra can finally buy the vehicle of his dream — an ambulance,” posted a CSK follower. “As means of redemption for their past doings, CSK is now involved in philanthropy #Ashish Nehra,” another said.

In IPL 2014, Nehra played just four games and managed eight wickets at an average of 17.76 but he has returned as a match-winner in the ongoing edition. 

The MS Dhoni-led CSK have always been known more for their batting prowess. However, Nehra has changed that with his sensational bowling spells, both upfront and in the death overs. The Delhi speedster has become the go-to man for his skipper.

IPL has always been regarded as a tournament for younger set of players, given the fast-paced nature of the format, but the 36-year-old veteran pacer of 17 Test matches and 120 ODIs has forced many to change their opinion.

He seems to have done his chances of getting back into the national team a world of good after performing impressively this season. Nehra is a strong contender to finish as the leading wicket-taker, with an impressive 22 scalps under his belt, just a wicket behind Purple Cap holder Dwayne Bravo.

He has developed a special liking for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, which showed in his performance in the Qualifier-2 at the JSCA stadium, Ranchi. 

Before this match, Nehra's best bowling effort in the IPL had come against the RCB on both the occasions. His season's best 4 for 10 in the home fixture was followed by 3 for 19 in the away game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. On Friday, Nehra demonstrated his old touch with two crucial wickets of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (12) and dangerman AB de Villiers (1) in his first spell, which broke the back of RCB's batting.