Veteran India pacer Ashish Nehra, who has represented Indian cricket team in about 163 matches at the International level since his debut in 1999, on November 1 will feature for the last time in the blue jersey as he on October 12 announced retirement from all forms of cricket. Nehra, during a press conference in New Delhi, said that he will end his cricket career after the first Twenty20 International (T20I) against New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on November 1.
The 38-year-old at a press conference ahead of the third T20I against Australia said,
I have spoken to the team management and the selection committee (about retiring). The game against New Zealand is in Delhi so you can’t get better than that when you retire in front of your home crowd.
He added,
It is always better to retire when people are saying why rather than why not. I always wanted to retire on a high. I think Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah are doing really well. And that this is the way forward for me.
Nehra will always be remembered for his death overs and his 6-wicket haul against England during the 2003 World Cup, which India lost to the Australians in the finals. Afterwards, Nehra grabbed the limelight after a video showing him abusing former Indian captain MS Dhoni who had failed to grab a catch of Shahid Afridi in 2009, went viral on YouTube.
Lete’s have a look at some of Nehra’s memorable innings:
1. Nehra swears at Indian Captain Dhoni
2. 6/23 against England in 2003 World Cup
3. 6/59 Against Sri Lanka in 2005
4. 4/35 Against Sri Lanka in 2003 World Cup
5. 4/40 Against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup final, 2010
Nehra has so far played 17 Tests (44 wickets), 120 One-Day Internationals (157 wickets) and 26 T20Is (34 wickets) for the country.
Nehra, who made his debut in 1999, said that he was also done with his Indian Premier League (IPL) career.
The left-arm pacer said,
There will be a gap of five months between the next edition of IPL and November. So I can easily play in IPL. But I train only to play for India and once I retire from international cricket, I will not play in the IPL as well.
Nehra was also a part of the Indian squad which won the 2011 Cricket World Cup at home.
