New Delhi: Ready for yet another international comeback, veteran Ashish Nehra is hardly bothered about the doubters and cynics as he revels in the feeling of being a sought after pacer for India at the age of 38.
“Who isn’t happy if he is playing for India? I have never been bothered by criticism. The Indian dressing room knows what I bring to the table. The skipper knows it, the selectors know it. If I am in the team, definitely, I must be contributing something,” Nehra stated Monday.
“At my age, you don’t set long-term goals. I have been selected to play three games for India. I will take it one match at a time. Waise bhi Ashish Nehra accha karega toh bhi news hai, accha nahi karega toh woh aur bhi badi news hain (If I do well, that’s news, if I don’t do well, that’s even bigger news),” added the lanky Delhi pacer when asked about his goals for the upcoming series.
Nehra has recently started using a smartphone and by his own admission, he is light years away from Facebook and Twitter. Does he get perturbed by all the Twitter jokes on his age? Nehra responded with a huge guffaw.
“I don’t even know what people say about me on Twitter. Now people may have a notion that since I am not visible on social media and now that I am in the team, where was I during the period. Well, I was religiously following my training schedule, working on my fitness, doing my bowling routines. Things you actually do to make a comeback,” the answer said it all.
Rahane respects selectors’ decision
Mumbai, Oct 2: Ajinkya Rahane, who was axed for the upcoming three-match T20 series against Australia, said Monday that he respected the decision taken by the team management and the selectors. “Yes, so much cricket we play, when the team management, selectors take a decision and we respect it. I have always enjoyed competitions. It motivates me to excel,” Rahane stated. “Overall it is not the end of the road for me. I am in good form and I am happy that I contributed in India’s victory over Australia” he added.
Press trust of India