JOIN US“I am ready to fill in (Irfan) Pathan’s place. I am as confident about my bowling as my batting. Any given day, I want to be known as a handy all-rounder rather than just a reliable middle-order batsman,” Nayar, who is currently undergoing a rehabilitation programme at the NCA after a wrist surgery, said here on Sunday.
Nayar does not have red-hot pace, but the right-arm medium pacer has a few variations up his sleeve to outfox the batsmen. “I know I'm not express but I'm smart enough to outhink the batsmen. I broke into Mumbai side as a bowler and I used to bowl faster than what I do now. When I realised that my mixed action would lead to career-threatening injuries, I had to cut down on my pace. Sachin (Tendulkar) and Zak (Zaheer Khan) believe in my bowling,” he said.
Nayar, who eyes return to competitive cricket in the Buchi Babu tournament, said master batsman Rahul Dravid’s advice has done a world of good for him as a bowler.
“Once Rahul (Dravid) told me successful bowlers always understand their limitations. He cited the examples of cricketers like Chris Harris, Gavin Larsen and Robin Singh, who were never quick but were effective and have been match-winners.
Even if you look at someone like (Kieron) Pollard, he does a neat job with limited pace and clever variations,” the Mumbaikar said.