Virender Sehwag not surprised by Ashish Nehra's comeback in Indian team

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is not at all surprised to see veteran Indian fast bowler, Ashish Nehra, make a comeback in the Indian team. Nehra was named in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against Australia. The inclusion surprised many since Nehra is already 38 years old and the T20I World Cup is almost three years away from now. Hence, the call bamboozled the pundits.

However, Virender Sehwag feels that the inclusion is totally justified. Sehwag remarked that Nehra’s score in the fitness yo-yo test is at par with Indian skipper Virat Kohli. He revealed that the secret behind Nehra’s fitness is that he spends as many as 8 hours in the gym when he is out of cricket action. This helps him to stay fit in the longer run.

Sehwag shares great camaraderie with Ashish Nehra and the two players have played a lot of cricket together – in Delhi and for the team India. Virender Sehwag made these startling revelations in a conversation with India TV recently. Nehra last played for India in a T20I fixture against England earlier this year.

“I was not at all surprised with Nehra’s selection in the T20I team against Australia.  I am very happy that he is a part of the team and I want him to play more matches in future. The secret behind Nehra’s fitness is when is not playing international cricket, he spends almost 8 hours in the gym (two sessions of 4 hours each). And if today he is a part of the T20 team, it is because he has passed the ‘yo-yo’ test. He scored almost 17-18 in the yo-yo test, touching Virat Kohli’s score,” quoted Virender Sehwag.

“Nehra is a fast bowler and never faces any issues while running. So, he doesn’t endure much problems in clearing the “yo-yo” test. Nehra likes to stay fit and spend time in the gym. It is not that he is doing it forcefully. He likes to run, swim and I think he would have easily covered the distance of 20 meters in the yo-yo test. He has also an advantage of his height… he is over 6 feet and has a long stride,” he added.

Advice to Raina, Yuvraj

While Ashish Nehra managed to make it to the Indian team by passing the yo-yo tests, two big names have reportedly failed to clear it. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina – two of the most fancied names of Indian cricket continue to sit out of the team. Virender Sehwag feels that these two players should focus on their fitness and pass the test. The only way to survive in the modern day cricket world is by staying fit.

“We have seen in reports that many players, including Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, have not cleared the yo-yo test. And probably this is the reason why they are not part of the team. I think Yuvraj and Raina should focus on clearing the yo-yo test because if they pass the test, they will be a part of the team,” mentioned Sehwag.

“Fitness is the mantra for every cricketer. If you remain fit, you will be a hit. I don’t think there’s any unfit player in the current Indian team,” he concluded.