Ashish Nehra is best remembered for his feat of taking 6/23 which helped India beat England in a pulsating 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup clash in Durban. The spell is considered by many as one of the greatest by an Indian bowler in World Cup history. Nehra took the wickets of Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart, Paul Collingwood, Craig White and Ronnie Irani to finish with figures of 6/23 from ten overs. Nehra’s spell helped bowl England out for 168 in response to India’s 250/9.

It is a spell that still thrills and fascinates the Indian cricket fan over and over again. But, did you know that Nehra was battling an injury in that match? Ashish Nehra was suffering from an ankle injury and his whole leg was swollen. However, knowing the situation in the World Cup and the faith that Sourav Ganguly, the skipper, had on him, Nehra played through the pain.

All this was revealed by former India batsman and current cricket commentator Aakash Chopra on his official Facebook page.

Nehraji achieved wonders

“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. So, Nehra filled a bucket full of ice and kept his heavily swollen leg inside the bucket for hours. The next day, he heavily taped and bandaged his swollen leg, and wore thick, tight socks. Even though, it was even difficult for him to wear his shoes, he still got ready, stood up and went off to the field. With Dada’s faith in him, and his self-believe, Nehra ji achieved wonders which no one expected. Nehra took a 6-wicket haul - a feat which no other Indian bowler has been able to achieve during a World Cup game. The thing to remember here is that the records will continue to be broken. The real story is that of the passion, and not giving up. An injury can affect your body, but not your determination. Long Live, Nehra ji,” Chopra revealed.

India went on to reach the final of the 2003 World Cup where they lost heavily to Australia in the final by 125 runs. Nehra retired from international cricket in 2017, having played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for India. His last international match was against New Zealand in the T20I at the Feroz Shah Kotla in 2017 in which India won a T20I against the Kiwis for the first time.