da doce： Ashish Nehra knows how to put his theories into practice – and withvery successful results
06-Jul-2001Ashish Nehra knows how to put his theories into practice – and withvery successful results. The 22-year-old speedster from Delhi, who hasbeen India’s find of the Zimbabwe tour, knows exactly how to bowl in aparticular situation and never tries to transcend his limits. He likesto keep things simple and plans his strategies in advance, the way hedid for the Zimbabwe tour.”I decided early not to look for extra pace all the time. I don’tthink I have bowled as fast as I can on these tracks. Here I havemostly tried to swing the deliveries and maintain a good line andlength,” Nehra said in an interview to PTI ahead of the final match oftriangular one-day series against West Indies tomorrow.”In Test cricket, speed does matter but you need to concentrate online and length and get the ball to move,” said Nehra who emerged asthe highest wicket-taker in the just-concluded Test series againstZimbabwe.There is a very noticeable change in his bowling strategy in the onedayers and not without reason. “My philosophy is simple: in onedayers, if you bowl maidens, you will get wickets. If you try to lookfor wickets, you will not only miss wickets but would also go forruns.”In Test matches, whether it is flat or favourable conditions, I liketo maintain line and length and pitch the ball up all the time. If yougo for two fours and get a batsman out, you have done your job,” hesaid.Pitching the ball up is one thing Nehra has done with remarkablesuccess on this tour. And as he says, bowling up to the batsman iscrucial but not very easy for a fast bowler.”It is very easy to bowl a bouncer but very difficult to bowl ayorker. In order to bowl up, you need a lot of power. It is easy tobowl up slowly but it is of no use. You must pitch it up and do so atquick pace. Only when you do so would the ball swing and carry to thewicketkeeper. If the ball is pitched up, the batsman will think twicebefore driving it.”He did trouble the batsmen a lot, even one of the calibre of AndyFlower. Nehra dismissed him in both the innings of the first Test inBulawayo.”I never had any problem against Andy (Flower). On the contrary, Ithink he had problems against me.” An achievement for sure,considering the way Flower has dealt with the Indian bowlers recently.Nehra, who finds VVS Laxman the most difficult batsman to bowl to, wasequally effective with both the new and the old balls and dismissedsuggestions that fast bowlers were good only when the ball was new.”With the old ball, I rely on cutting the ball back in and getting itto reverse swing. The ball can slow up considerably, but then it alsoskids. Frankly, it is the length that is important,” he said.Nehra’s obsession with bowling the right length might seem repetitivebut he knows that is what will make him an effective bowler.”Look at Glenn McGrath. He can bowl six balls in the same area -outside the off stump. If I can bowl five deliveries, I should beokay,” Nehra said. “I should be able to read the batsmen, gauge theconditions and bowl to my field.” Certainly the mantra for success forevery aspiring fast bowler.Nehra emphasised it was very important for a fast bowler to know hisstrengths and weaknesses and bowl within his limitations. “You mustknow what you should do. Where you can bowl, what your limitationsare. I never try to overreach myself.”Nehra made history on this tour, but for a dubious reason. He wassuspended from bowling for the rest of the innings after being warnedthrice in the second innings of the first Test for damaging the pitchin his follow-through.”As a left-arm paceman there could be an odd moment in four or fiveovers when you try to bowl too close to the box and run on to thewicket. But one such odd lapse doesn’t mean the pitch would bespoiled,” he said.Anyway, Nehra made amends quickly and came back strongly in the secondTest.”I think I am mentally strong. As a fast bowler only 25 per cent ofyour skill contribute to your success. The remaining 70-75 per cent isall mental and physical. If you are physically strong, you could beone in the mind also,” Nehra said.And in order to increase his contribution to the team, Nehra isworking on his batting and fielding too. He stuck around for a longtime in the first innings of the Bulawayo Test, remaining unbeaten onnine, and is very agile in the field.”People may have misgivings about my fielding and batting prowess butI have always felt reasonably confident. It is just that I need matchconditions to perform to the best of my ability. At nets, I am neverable to bowl at my fastest. The same is true with my fielding. But Igive it my everything in the middle,” he said.Zimbabwe was one of the relatively easier assignments and Nehra hasalready started his preparations for the forthcoming tougher tours ofSri Lanka and South Africa.”In many respects, I think Sri Lanka will be a tougher tour than evenSouth Africa. There is this thing about humidity in Sri Lanka. Evenafter bowling just one over, you are dripping with sweat. I don’tthink you could bowl more than 5-6 overs of sustained pace in thoseconditions. If I can bowl at my peak for 5-6 overs and do so for 20overs in a day, I would be happy,” Nehra said.