Ashish Nehra, who was very much the best Indian bowler on the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Thursday, has said that his immediate objective was to cement his place in the Indian squad.

Since the tour of Zimbabwe began, skipper Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright have been singing Nehra's praises. The left-arm fast bowler from Delhi has performed so well on the tour that the think tank of the Indian team did not think twice about including him in the team in place of a seasoned campaigner like Ajit Agarkar. And Nehra, who worked steadily to improve his bowling, did not disappoint them.

In an interview to a vernacular daily in Kolkata, Nehra has said, "for the last two years, I have worked very hard. Probably I made my international debut a bit to early. But then, I realized what international cricket was all about. Since then, I have worked quietly in Delhi to increase my pace and, at the same time, my length and line. I can definitely say that I am a better bowler than what I was two years ago."

Nehra attributes his success to coach John Wright saying, "the last time that I was at the conditioning camp with Wright at Bangalore, I learnt quite a lot. I learnt that in international cricket there was no scope for error. The coach has given a number of tips which have come in very handy."

Nehra also said that he was determined to put up a good show at Zimbabwe. "When I left home, I had only one aim - to work very hard and to fight. I knew that nothing would come easy. I told myself that I would be better than everyone at the nets. It seems that my hard work has finally paid off."

Nehra is also thankful to Ganguly for his help. "From the first day of the tour, he has really backed me and inspired me. A bowler, needs the confidence of his captain. I've got that."

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