Haunting memory

As he crossed over to the other end off a no-ball, tailender Ashish Nehra was left facing the free-hit ball 8212; an opportunity that the left-arm pacer missed. Experts called it a tactical blunder but as Nayar relives the traumatic final few moments of his stroke-filled innings to give his side.

8220;When the umpire called the no ball, I didn8217;t hear it because of the din. Only when I had covered half the distance, did I see the umpire8217;s signal,8221; he says.

When Nayar came back on strike, the equation read: 8 runs from 2 balls. With the momentum gone, he missed a chance to be the hero and his team lost another close one.

But the Shardashram boy did make a mark. 8220;When I entered the dressing room everybody congratulated me. Even Sachin came up and appreciated my effort,8221; he says.