It was a fitting end to an entertaining international career for Ashish Nehra, as he bowed out with a convincing win for Team India against the Kiwis in the opening T20I at his home ground in the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
Nehra’s last over in his international career was cheered by the whole Delhi crowd. Even Indian skipper Virat Kohli initiated them to cheer for Nehra Ji.
Despite having 12 surgeries in his career so far he has forced his way back into the national team due to his sheer hard work and dedication. He has been an interesting character both on and off the field and has always carried a broad smile irrespective of the situation. He bowled a match-winning spell during the Semi-final against Pakistan in 2011, but subsequent injuries again forced him out of the team, but Nehra Ji didn’t stop working hard.
He made a surprising return during the T20I series in 2016 against the Aussies and guided the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, as India whitewashed the Aussies 3-0. He also bowled a match winnings spell against England earlier in the year which helped India win the series 2-1. Yuvraj Singh who has been a long time teammate of Ashish Nehra shared an emotional message on his Facebook handle which is worth a read.
He revealed so many funny incidents about the left-arm pacer during his note which was full of love for Nehra. It was a heartfelt message which revealed many funny incidents about Nehra ji and how former India skipper Sourav Ganguly called him a ‘Popat” due to his talkative nature.
Here is Yuvraj Singh’s message
Resilience of Mr Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra – The first thing that I can say about my buddy Ashu is that he is an extremely honest man…woh dil ka bahut saaf aadmi hai. Perhaps only a holy book is more honest than him. I know a few jaws are dropping and a many more eyes are popping out after reading this. At times we all can be judgemental about people and life. Public figures even more so and are judged on various parameters. In this case, Ashu was too straightforward for some people and suffered because of that. But to me, he was always Ashu or Nehra Ji, a fun guy who was honest and never let his team down.
I first met him in my under-19 days, and he had got picked for the Indian team. He was sharing a room with Harbhajan Singh. I had gone to see Bhajji and noticed this tall, lean guy who just couldn’t stay still. He was like a cat on an extremely hot tin roof. He’d be sitting still one moment and all of a sudden break into a stretch or twitch his face or just roll his eyes. I found it extremely funny and thought maybe someone has put ants in his pants. Later on, when we played for India, I realised that is the way Ashu is – someone who could not stay still. As for the ants, their hard work quotient was in his game which I will come to a little later.
Sourav Ganguly gave Ashu the nickname Popat as he talked a lot. I mean he can talk even under water! Plus he is hilarious. For me he doesn’t need to speak, there is something about his body language that is so funny. Agar aap Ashish Nehra k saath ho to aap ka din kharaab nahin jaa sakta…NO CHANCE. Wo banda aap ko hassa-hassa k gira dega. I have never told him this, but secretly I have drawn inspiration from him. I used to think that if this guy at the age of 38, with all his injuries and surgeries, can bowl fast then why can’t I bat at 36. Frankly, this is what is keeping me going even today.
Ashu has had 11 surgeries – elbow, hip, ankle, finger, both knees just to name a few. But what kept him going were his hard work and the burning desire to do well. I remember during the 2003 World Cup he badly twisted his ankle. There was no way he could have played the next game against England. But Nehra Ji kept pestering everyone that he wants to play. By the end of it all, even the hotel attendants in Durban knew how keen Ashu was! Agley 72 hours us nay 30-40 baar apney ankle ki icing karee, taping karee, pain-killers khayey and rather miraculously was ready to play. The outside world thought he didn’t care, but we knew how much he did. Six wickets for 23 runs and India beat England by 82 runs.
Ashu is a team-man to the core. In 2011 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan he bowled an outstanding spell but unfortunately got injured due to which he had to miss the finals. I know a lot of players would have got into self-pity, brooding mode but not him. Woh hassta rehtaa thaa and was available to help everyone. He was with us in Mumbai for finals against Sri Lanka and would organise drinks, towels and even offer advise wherever it was required. For an outsider, these may seem irrelevant inputs, but when you play a team sport, and you have a senior member effortlessly easing himself into the background roles, it is extremely heartening.
He is blessed with a great family too. He has two amazing kids – son Aarush and daughter Aaraina. Aarush bowls too but his action is better than his dad’s (thank Heavens for that, LoL). Ashu has never been humble about his batting. I have often laughed my lungs out when he has shamelessly used words like ‘legendary’ for his batting skills. Not only that, he often claimed that he’d have played till the age of 45 if he were a batsman! But who knows, it is his farewell game, in his hometown Delhi, the world is watching, maybe Ashu could end up hitting the winning runs. I am sure I am not the only one praying for a perfect ending to his script.
It is an emotional time for me, and I am sure for him and his family too. I am grateful Cricket has given me a true friend whom I’ll always cherish.
https://www.facebook.com/yuvirajsinghofficial/posts/10155791049959254