'Confidence An Important Ingredient For Success'

The tour of New Zealand may have been disastrous forthe Indian cricket team but for Ashish Nehra, the highly-improved fast bowler,it marked the turning point of his career.

Nehra, who has been highly impressive in this World Cup, says the confidence gained in New Zealand, where hebowled well, has been helping him to perform well in this competition.

"To my mind the tour to New Zealand was veryimportant," said Nehra. "I could take important wickets and my lineand length was good.

"Confidence is a very important ingredient in afast bowler's success." There is no doubt that Nehra has been bowling witha lot of confidence in this World Cup. He has satisfied his captain whenever theball has been given to him.

His crowning glory came in the match against Englandwhich he played despite an ankle injury and returned a career best six wickethaul. His 6-23 was the fourth best recorded in a World Cup, though later it waspushed to sixth by Andy Bichel and Shane Bond.

"I thought the team needed me and I volunteered toplay in that game," Nehra said. "An ankle injury does not heal easily.But I wanted to go through the pain barrier and play my part for the team.

"I still go with my ankle fully strapped. It isnot easy but I manage," he said.

Nehra has been prone to injuries but he says people should stop talking abouthis fitness now that he has been playing international cricket non-stop for thelast one year.

"You cannot stop people from commenting whateverthey want to say but my track record in the past one year is an apt comment onmy fitness," he said.

"Since the tour to West Indies (last year), I haveplayed non-stop cricket, whether in Tests or one-dayers. I toured West Indies,then England and Sri Lanka and continued with the series against West Indies athome and then the tour to New Zealand.

"This is an ample testimony about my fitness. EvenZaheer Khan missed the one-day series against West Indies (at home) and (Javagal)Srinath, of course, was missing for a long time," he said.

And lest anyone feels that there is a rivalry betweenhim and fellow left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan, Nehra said the two enjoyed the bestof relationship.

"We share a very healthy relationship. If he takestwo wickets, I too want to do my bit and claim wickets." Nehra also doesnot grudge that Zaheer gets the new ball with Srinath while he comes only as afirst change bowler.

"It is not that I have never used the new ball. Iused the new ball in NatWest Series and then in the Champions Trophy in SriLanka.

"It does not matter to me whether I use the newball or not as long as it helps the team. I am okay," he said.

Nehra said the important thing about any bowler is to maintain a tight line andlength and that is what he has been trying to do in the World Cup.

"The line is very important. I use my wrist to getthe ball to move in and out but I like to be very accurate in my line andlength.

"In one-day cricket, you could go for runsquickly. It's a fast game and one should be careful with experiments. Even withyour bouncers, you need to be careful."

Nehra was pleased that New Zealandcaptain Stephen Fleming rates him as a very impressive left-arm seamer in worldcricket at the moment.

"I got him four or five times in New Zealand andas I said, it all boils down to confidence."

Nehra had a miserable tour toSouth Africa a couple of years ago and he put it down to injury which washampering his performance.

"I did not have a good tour to South Africa but itwas because I was coming out of injury and it's easy to find your rhythm inTests straightaway. I also suffered because two practice games before the secondTest were washed out." But thanks to the new-found stress on fitness in theIndian team, Nehra is certainly enjoying the results.

"I can see it even after playing so much ofcricket, we still have the energy to carry on. The same goes in fielding and Ifeel even this part of my cricket has improved because of fitness," hesaid.

Nehra is also keen to make a contribution with the bat though he would not wantit to come to him in the World Cup.

"I have contributed with the bat whenever given achance. But I hope I am not required to bat and our batters do the job," hesaid.

He gushed at the mention of Pakistani legend WasimAkram and says it's a tribute to his fitness, that the great left-armer haslasted this long in international cricket.

"Everything about him is impressive. He has beendoing it for the last 15-16 years. I am a big fan of his. He has variety, lineand length... everything. To take 500 wickets and last that long is a tribute tohis fitness," he said.

PTI