The left-arm fast bowler Ashish Nehra said goodbye to his long cricketing career as he played his last international match against the Kiwis on Wednesday. The men in blues broke their jinx as they defeated the Blackcaps convincingly by 53 runs in the opener of a three-match T20 series in Kotla. Nehra remained wicketless in his quota of four overs giving away 29 runs, was carried on shoulders as he left the field for the last time as a player.
The 39-year-old cricketer while talking to former India cricketer and currently a commentator Sanjay Manjrekar revealed why he decided to bowl the last over. Virat Kohli handed over the ball to the veteran pacer in the 20th pacer despite winning the match. Nehra on talking about bowling the last over said:
“I must be one bowler who bowled the most number of last overs for India, but it was different sort of pressure and today was much more comfortable. Virat was in my case for the last 2-3 overs and I said I will bowl the last over.”
Nehra has been an integral part of the India squad in the 2003 and 2011 World cup campaigns. A simple and honest to his game, Nehra has been one of the top Indian bowlers for quite some time. In his farewell speech, Nehra said that this is an outstanding team and it is in good hands for the next 7-8 years. He thanked everybody for being so supported and admitted that he has no regrets.
Ashish Nehra, who made his debut in international cricket in 1999, has represented India in 17 Test matches, 120 ODI’s and 27 T20I’s over a span of 18 years. He has picked up 44 Test, 157 ODI, and 34 T20I wickets. His spell of 6 for 23 against England in the 2003 World Cup in England in difficult times will be etched in every cricket lover’s memory.