Former India pacer Ashish Nehra feels the Indian Premier League (IPL) has come as a blessing for several talented youngsters, who would have otherwise not grabbed the public eye.

”It’s an extremely big stage. Look at guys like Manpreet Gony, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina who have benefited enormously from it,” Nehra told cricketnirvana.com.

Nehra, who has not played for India since late 2005, said the IPL has revived hopes of a return to international cricket for discarded players like him.

”The IPL is as big as international cricket. In earlier times, as a cricketer getting dropped from the Indian team, it was very difficult to motivate yourself. The domestic circuit was fast losing credibility and players were not very keen on giving it a hundred percent if they were in the wrong side of 30 and there were no vacancies in the Indian team,” he stated.

The IPL has also become a playground for ageing and retired stars like Ajit Agarkar Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Shaun Pollock.

But, Nehra is not yet ready to include himself in that category.

”Please don’t put me in that category, you must be joking,” the Delhi left-armer said.

”I am still under 30.

”The best aspect of the IPL is that it is as big as international cricket in terms of pressure, quality of cricket and competitiveness,” he added.
Source – deepikaglobal.com