Age is just a number and in cricket no one can endorse it better than Ashish Nehra, the Delhi pacer. From Mohammad Azharuddin to Virat Kohli captains got swapped, line ups changed but the 38 year old young pacer has featured under all the captains in this chronology.
He is the only one who has played under so many captains. “NEHRA JI” is a boom box of inspiration for all the young guns out there.
The 38 year old who still has a spark in him has reportedly finally decided to call it a day. There are speculations that he might bid a farewell to the cricket pitch in the upcoming series against the Kiwis.
As per a report from the Mumbai Mirror he will be seen in Team India’s colours for the last time on November 1, in New Delhi as India prepares to host New Zealand. The November 1, T20 would in all probabilities be his farewell match. Not everyone gets the leverage to see off the game at the place and timing of their choice but for Ashish Nehra you can say that he deserves this auspicious occasion.
Here’s a sneak into his cricketing career
1. Ashish Nehra made his Test Debut in 1999 against Sri Lanka on February 24.
2. His ODI debut came in 2001 against Zimbabwe
3. Nehra has 44 wickets in his kitty in the 17 tests he has played.
4. Ashish Nehra has represented India in 120 ODIs claiming 157 wickets.
5. Ashish Nehra last played a test match in 2004 against Pakistan.
6. His last ODI too came against Pakistan in 2011
7. Ashish Nehra who made a comeback in the on-going T20 series against the Aussies has 34 wickets in 26 matches of the shortest format.
The selectors defended his selection in the on-going series citing him as one of the fittest in the game. He has been preferred to Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina who were kept out due to fitness issues and hence it sparked a tiny controversy but controversy or no controversy Nehra Ji is an inspiration and he deserves every bit of the grand ceremony that is being reportedly crafted for his farewell.
Ashish Nehra has been a stalwart in Indian cricket. His is a name the billboard would always take with respect and we congratulate him on such an inspiring career. It would be interesting to see whether these reports come out to be true or not.
NOTE: We haven’t received any official statement and this article is on the basis of a report published on Mumbai Mirror.
