Sourav Ganguly has praised Ashish Nehra’s never-give-up attitude that made it possible to make comebacks despite injuries throughout his career. Nehra, who flourished as a young star under Ganguly’s captaincy, called an end to his 18-year-long international career at his home ground – Feroz Shah Kotla – in New Delhi on Wednesday.
“I think his best friend was the physio. I think he probably spent more time with the physio than his wife,” Ganguly told ‘India Today’. .
Ganguly added: “His [Nehra’s] body didn’t hold up for most part of his career. But he was extremely gifted that he continued even after all these injuries. He is very competitive, he never gave up. “He might have been fragile, he had injuries. Fielding was not a part of his repertoire. When it came to bowling, when he got the white ball, he looked a different cricketer. “It [the farewell] is fantastic. Not many have the luck to finish in their home ground. Sachin Tendulkar had it and now Ashish Nehra. Good to see selectors showing faith in him. Even in his last game, he bowled well. It’s difficult to bowl in Kotla, but he did well.” A
As Nehra himself concedes, he might not be recognised for his numbers (235 wickets from 164 internationals) but definitely for his ability to bounce back from crisis situations.
The former Indian captain also shed talked about how Nehra fought an ankle injury at the 2003 World Cup to come up with his best ODI figures of 6 for 23 against England in Durban.
“Nehra is someone who just remains happy whether he plays or not. That’s the best thing. He always is smiling. I dealt with him when he was young. Every time when I had to leave him out, every time I told Nehra ‘Ashu you’re not part of the game’, I knew the doorbell would ring after the game,” Ganguly said.
“He wouldn’t say anything before or during the game, but exactly at 11pm, when you reach the hotel, the doorbell would ring. And Ashish walks in, in his shorts and slippers, with his fragile legs and with hands inside his T-shirt, rubbing his belly he would ask ‘why did i not get picked’.
“I would tell him, ‘I wanted to give someone else the opportunity, someone else has performed better’. “It was then all the stats would come up.
He would say ‘I can bowl at 149 for you. Do you think I am not fit. Give me the ball, I will show you’.
“He did exactly that in South Africa. He slipped in the game against Namibia, he had a hugely swollen ankle. We had the game against England in the next three or four days. I asked Ashish what to do with him. “He said, ‘just put my name and I will run in for you’. He did just that. His best bowling figures came against England in that match. That’s the speciality of Nehra, he never gives up.”
