Casual cricket watchers, who often diss and mock Ashish Nehra fail to realize a simple fact – Nehra is one of the most crucial weapons of Indian cricket. Fact that all the captains that Nehra had played under just couldn’t let him go shows how much important he is to the team.
Here’s why the the 37-year-old left arm medium fast bowler is a delight for any captain to have in his team. Read on:
IPL captains want Nehra to be their bowling spearheads
All his erstwhile teammates, most of whom had been Nehra’s captain in international and domestic cricket have prompted and convinced their respective franchises to get Ashish Nehra on board. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Saurav Ganguly and MS Dhoni – they all wanted Nehra in their team which explains why this old horse has been so much in demand in IPL which is a young man’s game, as they say.
 Every captain needs a bowler who can deliver in pressure
Although, there had been plenty of bowlers who have performed quite well in the 2015 World Cup, Nehra, a cricketer in his late 30s was chosen in the squad for the T20 series in Australia. It only throws light on the fact that Dhoni, despite his pool of young and talented fast bowlers, has immense confidence on the cricketing intelligence and maturity of Nehra that is crucial during high stake situations.
Experience lets him know his limitations
Any cricketer at 36 falls short of confidence when it’s time to make a comeback. However, Ashish Nehra knows where he falls short and made his way back to the team quite impressively. He’s now the go-to-bowler for Captain Dhoni, who bowls with precision, never trying to hard with his pace or deliver precarious short pitched balls. Nehra, relies on his line and length which, in most cases, gets the job done.
An inspiration to youngsters
A member of the golden era of Indian cricket, Nehra is always someone to look up to for likes of Pandya and Bumrah. A captain will always appreciate such a figure around the team who can share the responsibility of inspiring the younger lot because motivating the troupe is almost half the battle won.
Valuable bowling advice from a wise veteran
A captain who is not a specialist bowler would know the importance of having a bowling veteran in the team to discuss bowling strategies with. Dhoni has been spotted on several occasions walking up to the Nehra to seek advice from the old war-horse. One of the most recent memories of Nehra and Dhoni chatting up to come up with a killer decision was when the two decided to go with Pandya for the final over against Bangladesh at the World Cup semis.
A man who is learning from his juniors
It is true that a captain needs a veteran to inspire and guide the juniors. However, the going could get really tough if the veteran in question throws around his air and fails to be a team person. Nehra, who could boast of his glorious career, blends in seamlessly with a young team, not only guiding them but also, in his own words, learning new things everyday from his juniors.
A man who can inspire others out of hibernation
From one bowling spear head to another, Nehra, with his convincing comeback to the Indian cricket team after five years, had inspired Zaheer Khan to train. Zaheer Khan was reported to have said that Nehra’s comeback has given him hope and confidence to train for IPL. That’s a huge compliment coming from a legendary cricketer like Zaheer Khan. Any captain would love to have a such a motivating player in his side.