Asia Cup 2016: Hopefully Jasprit Bumrah and I can do well in next couple of months, says Ashish Nehra

MS Dhoni: Not batting up the order

As the left-arm seamer pointed out, “comebacks are much more difficult than debuts”, especially at age 36. And Nehra had walked into a dressing room bereft of bowling confidence. They had lost an ODI series 4-1 against a second-string Australia and Bumrah’s impressive debut at the SCG provided the only spark, bowling-wise.

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The ODI series defeat Down Under followed India’s home T20 and ODI series losses against South Africa last year. It was not an ideal situation for a veteran fast bowler to get back into the team. He was starting it over again. A failure in the T20s in Australia would have ended his international career. But Nehra was carrying his experience, and also confidence, thanks to his IPL 8 performance – 22 wickets in 16 matches, economy 7.24. He became the leader of a rudderless fast-bowling unit by default. MS Dhoni had been desperately searching for someone like him post Zaheer Khan’s retirement. Ishant Sharma should have been Zaheer’s natural successor, but he failed in the job.

Nehra, though, looked at things from a different perspective. “Being the senior-most bowler, so many (people) have expected me to be the spearhead. On the field, I always try to talk to Bumrah and Hardik (Pandya) and I’m happy to do that job. Everybody has seen what Bumrah and Pandya have done recently. But it’s not that I always tell them stuff. I also try to learn from them. It’s still a learning experience.

Shikhar Dhawan: Want to continue good form

“It’s not easy for pacers to keep performing day in and day out. There will be pressure. You have to keep working hard. I train to play international cricket, not aim to play only domestic cricket,” Nehra said.

IPL is the reason why he didn’t find it difficult to adjust to international cricket on his return. “IPL is a great help for us when it comes to T20 cricket. You get used to it as a bowler. You just practice accordingly. It’s not a big deal for me. I’m somebody bowling upfront or one or two overs at the death. The more you play, the better you become.”

At his age, a lot depends on managing the body and it’s natural that Nehra now approaches the task differently. “There has been a massive difference, the way I did it about four-five years back. I know my body better.”

Experience, as chief selector Sandeep Patil had said after picking Nehra, was a vital component to success in the shortest formats as well. Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the other two Asia Cup contenders, have that in Wahab Riaz and Lasith Malinga. Nehra’s presence has offered calmness. He has forged a strong partnership with Bumrah. From India’s point of view it’s imperative that he remains in top shape for the next two months.