IPL 8: ‘I am 36 and a guy at this age is doing something unbelievable in T20s’
Kolkata: He has already won a few Man-of-the Match awards for his superlative performance with the ball in IPL 8 and experienced campaigner Ashish Nehra says it is difficult for a fast bowler to regularly emerge as the top performer in one season.
With 22 wickets so far, the 36-year-old out-of-favour India bowler is one of the top wicket-takers in the eighth edition of Indian Premier League. "I have got three or four Man of the Match awards this season and that says it all. For a fast bowler to pick up that many awards in one season is not easy," Nehra was quoted as saying in the IPL website.
The Chennai Super Kings player called it his best season in IPL. "If you see stats-wise, then definitely yes. But I can't just say that this is the best IPL I have had till date. Even in 2008 when I played for Mumbai Indians or for the Delhi Daredevils in 2009 and 2010, I was bowling really well.”
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"At that time obviously I was five years younger as well. But when you pick wickets, people remember you more. In T20 sometimes it happens that you are bowling really well but you don't get wickets. This time I am among the wickets and I am picking up wickets upfront which has really helped my team," Nehra pointed out.
A clinical Chennai Super Kings defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by three wickets in a nail-biting second qualifier to set up a summit showdown with Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens.
"It will be a great atmosphere at the Eden Gardens with seventy to eighty thousand people. We lost against Mumbai Indians in the league stage and we will look to win. It will be an even contest but if we play to our potential we can beat Mumbai Indians and lift the trophy," Nehra added.
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Coming back to his own game, Nehra felt he has been doing the same things over the last 10 years. "I have been bowling well over the last few years. Last year I managed to play only four games for CSK because I had a side strain after the first game.”
"But even that time I did manage to play and came back in the last three games to pick up eight wickets. It is not that Ashish Nehra has changed. People are noticing it more because I am 36 and a guy at this age is doing something unbelievable in T20s. But I have been doing the same things that I have been doing over the last 10 years," Nehra concluded.
