A troublesome ankle and various injuries have seen Ashish Nehra become the third choice bowler in the Indian cricket team of late. But try telling that to the lanky paceman.
Nehra believes that while the competition for places is good for the team and encourages the bowlers to perform better, he has the class to be picked ahead of the chasing pack when he is fit.
"The thing is whenever I am fit I am in the team. It's not like I am dropped because I am not bowling well. It is generally because of injuries that I get the drop."
Nehra made a huge impact on his first full tour when Zimbabwe hosted India in 2001. Here was a bowler who could swing the ball at pace and also send down the odd yorker. India had found the perfect bowler to complement Zaheer Khan. But since then he has been troubled by persistent injuries and never been quite able to build a rhythm that makes him a feared opponent.
"I am not satisfied by what I have achieved. I mean, nobody is ever happy with what they achieve; they always want to do even better. If you ask Sachin Tendulkar whether he is satisfied with his achievements, he won't be. He will want to score more runs. That's what I want to do as well. Take more wickets and remain injury free."
There had always been talk about the imbalance in Nehra's bowling action and it was held as the sole cause of all his problems. So a fitness camp always means a lot of hard work, especially for the Delhi bowler.
"Greg is basically working with me on my lower body. That's where I have had most of my injuries. For a fast bowler, lower body strength is even more important than upper body strength. And that's what I have been working on mostly."
During the 2003 World Cup match against Zimbabwe, he touched 149 kmph and regularly bowled over 140 kmph. He has never been able to replicate that performance but believes he has the pace.
"I have enough speed. I need to concentrate on line and length and on keeping fit. Everyone gets injured but it's a question of getting fit and staying fit. Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee everyone gets injured. Injuries are a reality you have to accept."
Nehra believes the conditioning camp will do him a lot of good.
"Everyone is working hard. You need a camp like this to get back into the best shape possible. After six weeks of rest you need to work hard for some time. The yoga is good too. We should have it all year round. It is very helpful."
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The bowlers finally got a chance to train outdoors. They were given a quick 30-minute session during which they focused on the art of throwing with power and accuracy.
Trainer Gregory Allen King instructed them to lead with their free arm and quickly bring it back into the body to gain more power into the throw. They then practiced throwing on the run and off-balance before the short session came to an end.
Earlier, they were forced to have an extended session indoors as overnight rain rendered the outfield unsuitable for play.
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The camp had a surprise visitor in the form of Rohan Gavaskar. The Bengal Ranji player joined the camp, meant only for fast bowlers, in a bid to get into peak physical condition ahead of a grueling season.
The left-handed bastman had made his One-Day International debut for India during the Australia series.
