Indian cricket, in it’s long history, has seen many great players, emerge and win games.

In the same period, it has had it’s fair share of characters, who may not have the numbers to show, but have left an indelible mark in the minds of the Indian cricket team fan.

One such player is Ashish Nehra.

If I were to show any upcoming fast bowler a cricketer he should never have the misfortune of becoming, Nehra would be that player.

The spate of injuries and the sheer ravage that his body has been through in the course of the last twenty years has meant that, a career which showed such promise in the initial days was cut short, thanks to blows to almost all parts of his body.

And yet, if there was a cricketer, whom I would advise any young bowler to take a cue from, as how to stay defiant despite all his sufferings, it would be Nehra, again.

The will to fight, to keep at it despite the pain and critically, deliver results - these are attributes which a rookie can surely incorporate into his game.

When he first left the scene in 2005, no one knew when the return would come. But he did and how, winning the World Cup with India in 2011, that he so narrowly missed in 2003, where he was one of the shining lights in a sensational campaign for his side.

When he again went away in 2011, the end seemed near. He still returned in the shortest format, aged 36 in 2016, this time, smarter than ever before, both bowling-wise and fitness wise.

While the rest of his teammates indulged in football, Nehra was perhaps away, following the strict personal regime, which had helped extend his career in the past few years.

For a large part of his career, Nehra was made fun for his teeth, of his batting.

But when he ran in, generated good pace and got the ball on the spot, he was an absolute handful.

Much has been written and spoken about that hallowed night in Durban, when he nipped six English wickets to help India win a crucial Group game of the 2003 World Cup.

It was a night when he excelled, primarily because his greatest strength proved to be his best friend: the ability to swing the ball, at pace.

Barring that, Nehra delivered few more important spells.

Like his spell against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2004, in the first innings, when he nipped Inzamam at a vital stage. India won the game and the series, but little did we know that it would his last Test.

Or his performance in the last over in the game against Sri Lanka at Rajkot in 2009, when he helped defend 11 runs.

In a career-spanning 18 years, few players would leave with any regrets.

In 2009, when it looked like he had attained a second wind to his career, could he have pushed himself to wear the whites again?

Was his body ready for the toll of 20 overs a day? What if he broke down in the middle of a spell?

Maybe with a few other cricketers, these were aspects which were mere risks.

With Nehra, however, they were big doubts and in hindsight, it would be safe to say that it was the right call to not make a return as it helped him extend his career by a few years.

At his best, he could clock mid-140kph. At his worst, he could get clobbered to all parts.

A cricketer who saw both sides of life on the field, Nehra can leave the game, knowing he did everything that he could to keep himself fit to play for India.

One question, however, could linger in his mind: Could he have bowled any differently to Robin Peterson in that last over on that muggy night in Nagpur in 2011?

Maybe, I'll get the answer by asking him that, someday.