Ashish Nehra opens up on the captain he enjoyed playing the most

After 19 years of toiling hard, Ashish Nehra eventually decided to bid adieu to international cricket. The first T20 International between India and New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi pulled down the curtains on what had been an inspiring voyage for Nehra in international cricket.

The journey started way back in 1999 when the tall and lanky left-arm pacer made his debut against Sri Lanka under the leadership of Mohammed Azharuddin. Since then, he went on to play under several skippers. However, in his final press conference as a cricketer, Nehra revealed the best captain he played under.

“So many people have asked me this question. I’m going to repeat the same thing because the same questions have been coming for the last week or two weeks. I’m somebody who has never liked comparisons. Everyone has weaknesses and strengths. I played under Dada, under MS, I’m playing under Virat. Obviously, Virat has a long career to go still,” he said.

The former Indian pacer also talked about the attributes of the Indian skippers. “There were so many other captains. Viru didn’t captain for long but he was a very positive guy. MS was someone who was really, really good. He was very shrewd and knew how to get the best out of his resources. Dada [Sourav Ganguly] was someone who really motivated us. We were young then too, me, Zak, Viru, Yuvi, Bhajji… so everyone is different it’s difficult to compare,” he added.

“I’m somebody who, I won’t say I’m enjoying when I’m doing well, but whenever I feel good body wise, I will enjoy whoever the captain is,” Nehra added.

The travails of Nehra’s career

Ever since he made his way into international cricket, Nehra found it difficult to stay put on his position in the national squad. Marred by erratic form and fitness issues, his career hardly got the kick it required. Nevertheless, he pushed himself to the core and finished his career on a high, in front of his home crowd. While the numbers aren’t like the ones of the legendary cricketers, the story of his 19-year journey is good enough to motivate budding cricketers to take up the sport.