Ashish Nehra - a marked man

HE WAS shattered. The very thought that he could not bowl any more was heartbreaking for Ashish Nehra. He had worked so hard to get back into the side and when he did get to bowl in a Test match, he was ordered off by an umpire who was most inconsistent in his rulings.

Nehra, it appeared, was the marked man.

It was strange. If Nehra did not tread on the danger area in the first innings, how could his follow through have deteriorated so much in the second innings, to the extent that he was disqualified from bowlng any further in the match.

It was also strange that the Indians did nothing to prevent the situation from getting uglier.

Coach John Wright admitted he ought to have been tighter in monitering the situation. It was so professional of Wright to share the blame. The skipper, Sourav Ganguly, confessed he was shocked by the speed with which the second warning and the subsequent disqualification came.

Everyone was shocked but then where did that leave Nehra. Did he have any guides during those difficult moments. Probably few.

If Nehra was crestfallen, it was pretty obvious he was, it was not good for the team. Here was a bowler, an inspired performer, reduced to a spectator because none stepped in to take charge and guide him on how to follow through. You don't teach a Test bowler how to organise his follow through but sometimes the situation demands so. One has seen established Test batsmen practising backlift and back and across movements when not among the runs.

So, there was nothing wrong in expecting someone to step in and quickly sort out a few things. ``Go away after pitching,'' was the refrain for Nehra, and Zaheer Khan. It was a new, baffling experience for the two. Not one, but two bowlers on the verge of disqualification in a Test match.

If Nehra was poor, Zaheer was hardly any better.

Two of India's finest bowlers had their follow through so disorganised and there was little time to restructure them. Fortunately, all this came much after these two had caused damage to the Zimbabweans.

It has been a long journey for Nehra. From the little known fields of West Delhi to be competing in the big league has been a dream come true. He is raw but he is committed, wants to do well, and that, noted Ganguly, is the key factor in this left-arm seamer making a comeback to the side after two years.

``He bowled a good line and looked like picking a wicket everytime,'' said Ganguly. He was precise in his assessment of Nehra, who made a decent debut against Sri Lanka at Colombo two years ago. And thereafter he just played domestic cricket.

One selector said Nehra did not possess the strength in his limbs to survive the rigours of international cricket. I know the senior cricketers in this Indian team would not agree with that statement because Nehra looks good.

Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have regard for Nehra. His pace may not rattle the batsmen but his deception can. In any case, Nehra makes no tall claims regarding his bowling qualities. ``I'm basically a line and length bowler,'' he says as a matter of fact.

Is not bowling all about line and length? His coach at Sonnet, Tarak Sinha, has always believed that a bowler has to develop a good line and length to survive and thrive. So, Nehra has only remembered what his coach taught him when he first went to him with a desire to be a fast bowler.

Nehra's policy when bowling is simple. ``Be ready for punishment and bowl with a large heart. You can't succeed without taking the stick. But it's important for a bowler to be innovative because you tend to get sorted out quickly.''

Nehra has not yet been sorted out. It is too early. But he was certainly a marked man as umpire Russel Tiffin made conscious efforts to unsettle the bowler by repeatedly checking the foot marks. Unsettle the bowler he did.

Nehra shall learn in time. Wright did promise to work on this aspect of his bowling. There is no doubt that Wright rates Nehra a bowler worth supporting. Of course, Nehra is not a complete bowler. He lacks the yorker and lacks the slower one. But is keen to add these two deliveries and become a bowler to reckon with. He likes to attack and that is how he would like to be recognised. ``An attacking bowler,'' he says with lot of confidence.

He is a bowler who can be relied upon to give his best. Even after being warned twice, he never compromised with his pace and gave it a go until he was taken off. It was a blow, but it was a lesson too.

``Yes. I've learnt,'' he said with a tinge of disappointment. Learnt the hard things of international cricket and he should thank his stars that the lesson came at the start of the season. He has modelled his style on Wasim Akram and would do better to remember the Pakistani's philosophy. ``Never give up.''

VIJAY LOKAPALLY

Harare

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