How Ashish Nehra Bowled With Injury To Bundle Out England In 2003 World Cup

Ashish Nehra has given it his all when he takes on the field. Though the results might have not always favoured him but his determination cannot be questioned. One such moment which proved Ashish Nehra’s determination was during the 2003 World Cup against England where he played through injury.

Opting to bat, India posted 250/9, with Rahul Dravid top scoring with 62 runs and Sachin Tendulkar hitting a half-century. The bowling from India was dominated by Ashish Nehra as he picked up a six-wicket haul to bundle out England for 168 runs. But commentator Aakash Chopra revealed that Nehra achieved the historic feat after keeping his swollen leg inside a bucket of ice.

“World Cup 2003, India vs England on Durban pitch. It was a close contest. England were at 52/2 chasing 250. Ashish Nehra came into the attack. He takes a great run-up, gets a leading edge off from the bat and England captain Nasser Hussain had to return to the pavilion. Great breakthrough. Then, came Alex Tudor (It was Paul Collingwood). He got out LBW. Michael Vaughan was caught behind. With this, half of England’s team fell down like a pack of cards. The Indian lions roared,” Aakash Chopra said in a video uploaded on Facebook.

“But wait, you know this story, already right? Let me take you to the flashback, behind the scenes. This heavily swollen leg kept inside a bucket of ice… who is it? This is the same Ashish Nehra who, the very next day, stepped out on the field to rattle England batting unit with a swollen leg. As we say, there is nothing greater than a person’s will. Not even injuries. If Nehra ji has decided that he will play against England, then no one can stop him,” Chopra added.

Nehra picked up the wickets of Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart, Paul Collingwood, Craig White and Ronnie Irani in the match. He was subsequently adjudged the man-of-the-match for his terrific performances.

Nehra has been  a part of many crucial matches for India. He retired with 44 wickets in Test, 157 in ODIs and 34 in the shortest format of the game.