The sight of a familiar gangly figure at the Taj Mahal Hotel this evening raised several eyebrows: What was Ashish Nehra doing at the meeting? Nehra arrived at the hotel shortly after the meeting began, went to the floor where the meeting was being held and left after a couple of hours. Efforts to contact Nehra went in vain and it was unclear whether Nehra actually attended the meeting or not.However, BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra later said that though Nehra was not present at the meeting, his injury problems were discussed by the review committee. The left-arm speedster broke down after the tri-series final against New Zealand, his back injury aggravated following India’s defeat. Chappell had then asked Nehra to refer to physio John Gloster and also told him, in essence, that he should return home if he couldn’t bowl.Nehra who was scheduled to visit South Africa for further treatment (facilities were not available in Zimbabwe), instead flew to England to get the check-up done. This decision — taken on his own — was not received well by Chappell and hence the fast bowler was asked for an explanation.Chappell was apparently upset with the bowler for his inability to maintain fitness levels from time to time. Nehra has however justified his trip to England saying that he is more comfortable with the place and the treatment available there.It should also be mentioned that Chappell had supposedly warned the bowler during the fitness camp in Bangalore to pay more attention on his fitness, to continue playing at the international level.
