Hyderabad: Veteran fast bowler Ashish Nehra confirmed on Thursday that he would bring down curtains on his 18-year-old injury-ridden international career with India’s Twenty20 match against New Zealand scheduled to be played in Delhi on November 1. “I have spoken to the team management as well the chairman of selection committee. The game against New Zealand is in Delhi where I played my first Ranji Trophy game 20 years ago,” said the 38-year-old on the eve of the T20 series decider against Australia here.
“I always wanted to retire on a high. I feel this is the right time and my decision has been welcomed,” Nehra said adding: “It’s always good to retire when people are asking ‘why’ rather than ‘why not’?”
Nehra appeared a bit upset about not finding a place in the playing XI. “When I came into this series, I had come prepared to bowl. I spoke to the captain and coach about my plans because whenever Ashish Nehra is in the side he plays in the XI, he doesn’t sit out,” he said. The Delhi pacer who last played in IPL-10 for Sunrisers Hyderabad also confirmed that he will not be playing in the cash-rich league but is open to take up mentoring tasks. “I have not decided about it but all those options of coaching and mentoring are open,” the left-arm speedster said.
Asked to name the best captain he has played under, Nehra simply said: “I have played under so many and all of them had their different styles. It’s difficult for me to pick any particular one.” Making his debut under Mohammad Azharuddin, Nehra went on to represent India in 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T20Is. In his prolonged journey, the veteran picked 157 ODI wickets for the country. His best against England in the 2003 World Cup where he picked 6 for 23 to fashion India’s victory.
Asked to pick his fondest memory on the field, Nehra said: “People remember moments, like the six wickets against England, or the last over in Karachi everyday is a memory for me. But yes I will always feel good about the fact that the captain always asked me to bowl the last over.” His body underwent as many as 12 surgeries but Nehra overcame all of them to play for India again.
“For me, the true measure of success is how many times you bounce back from failures. When you are always on top and suddenly you fall, you don’t know how to come up again. I have always trained to play for India,” he said. On a query whether he would reconsider his decision to retire, Nehraji came up with “Never say Never — I am that sort of player but on this (retirement), once I have decided, there is no going back.”
