My body has let me down, but I will push myself, says Ashish Nehra

After securing a 4-1 victory in the five-match ODI series, India will now play the Aussies in three T20Is starting October 7 in Ranchi. For the upcoming series, the Indian selectors picked 38-year-old Nehra in the 15-member squad. The Delhi pacer was recalled to the squad for the first time since the T20 series against England after being snubbed for the Carribean and Sri Lankan tours. In the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League, Nehra featured only in six games for the Sunrisers Hyderabad before being ruled out due to the hamstring problem.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo about his return Nehra exclaimed how his body hasn't been his supporter in the 19-year long career but that has never stopped him. He said,"The only one thing that is not happy that I am still playing is my body. I can play for another couple of years but it isn't easy for a fast bowler at 38-39, especially considering the state of my body. But I am just trying my level best."

Nehra made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in India colours back in 1999 and started his ODI career against Zimbabwe in 2001. The veteran pacer has since played 120 ODIs for India in which he has claimed 157 wickets. In the shorter format of the game, Nehra has an experience of 26 matches with claiming 34 wickets for the team. He admitted that he was trying to catch up for the cricket which he has missed in the last seven-eight years of his career.

"When you are young you don't understand these things, you don't understand the value of playing for India. In the last 7-8 years I missed so much cricket, maybe you can say I am trying to catch that up. You can never go back, but for the last 4-5 years I am pushing myself and I am getting the results.

"My body has let me down, that's why I am so upset with my body at times. I am a firm believer that if my body is okay I can still play and deliver. That's why I am always aware of my body," he added.

The left-arm pacer clarified that he doesn't know how long he will play and he has instead started focusing on the immediate challenge of the upcoming three games against Australia. "At this stage, I don't make plans. [I take] every series as it comes, I can't promise anything about whether I will be playing the next IPL. I don't know how long I can play," said Nehra.

"Like I said earlier, if it was in my hands I would never stop playing cricket but that is not going to happen. My debut was in 1999, so it will be 19 years soon. I don't think too many people thought I would be playing for 19 years. Already, I have managed to stretch myself so far, you never know, let's see," he added.