“There is a lot of talk about how Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) and I are good friends, but Nehra and I go back even farther. I still remember both of us going to play matches sitting on a scooter, one of us driving, the other holding the kit-bag on the back seat. He used to carry just a small bag, the bigger one was always mine.”

The Indian opener still has that scooter at home. “It’s very special to me, a token of our bonding,” says Sehwag.

Nehra smiles in agreement. “It’s been a long time since I rode a scooter. After we both made it into the national team, we got big cars but that scooter is still special. He used to drive in the morning because he would be fresh and I used to drive back,” Nehra says.

Circumstances have stopped Nehra from making an India comeback. But Sehwag has stood by him through thick and thin, urging him to keep working hard. “Viru toh yaaron ka yaar hai (Viru is a great friend),” says Nehra.

Sehwag doesn’t say any more. He simply wants to toss the ball to Nehra and ask him to get going.