Surprised why I was not picked by selectors for 4-5 years: Ashish Nehra

New Delhi: Indian speedster Ashish Nehra is quite surprised with the way he wasn't picked to play for the Indian cricket team for so many years.

Speaking to The Times of India, Nehra said that despite doing well in domestic cricket, he still wasn't recalled in the team for a very long time.

"I am surprised I wasn't picked in the last 4-5 years. My record from 2009 till the 2011 WC shows I was one of the leading performers. I was injured (finger) during the 2011 WC semis, and post that, I was the only bowler who didn't play for India. Even Piyush Chawla and Munaf Patel got a game for the country . Why I wasn't picked for India during those years is something only the BCCI and selectors can say," he said.

Nehra also reiterated the fact that in T20 cricket, a player should not be judged by his age but by his performances on the field.

"I believe it's all in the mind. T20 being a young man's game is a media-created perception. If we don't do well, then you will say T20 is a youngster's game. I believe performances on the field count, not a player's age," said the 37-year-old.

Nehra is currently a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad's pace attack, where he shares the ball with other pacers in Mustafizur Rahaman, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Barinder Sran.

He made a comeback earlier this year when he was recalled into Team India's T20 squad for three-match series against Australia in January.