It's my own decision, says Ashish Nehra on retirement
Debunks all theories
What’s the story?
After announcing his retirement from international cricket, veteran left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra has come out and clarified the reason for the same, thereby debunking all rumours that were doing the rounds.
“It's my own decision. The match on Nov 1 is in Delhi. There's no bigger thing than to retire in your hometown. When I was selected for this series, I informed Virat (Kohli) and coach (Ravi) Shastri that I think Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah are doing really well. And that this is the right time for me to go,” Nehra said, while addressing a press conference a day before the third T20I in Hyderabad.
The details
Nehra also informed that since he has made up his mind, he won't even play in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, since there is no going back after a decision has been made.
A BCCI official informed that Nehra had intimated both the coach and captain about his decision and has also requested them to give him one last match on his home ground in Delhi, since he wanted to leave on a high.
Watch: Ashish Nehra's great last over against Pakistan
In case you didn’t know…
Nehra, who was included in the T20 squad to take on Australia, announced his stepping away from international cricket on October 11.
The veteran made his debut back in 1999 under Mohammed Azharuddin. He has played a total of 17 Test matches, 120 ODIs and 26 T20 internationals so far.
He has picked up 157 ODI wickets, along with 44 Test wickets and 34 T20I wickets.
What’s next?
There is little denying the colossal amount of experience Nehra carries, and owing to this several IPL franchises, would be keen to rope him as a mentor or a bowling coach next season.
Also, he could be a valuable asset to any management team since he has played the game for such a long time and has seen it evolve over the past decades, which holds him in great shape if he takes up coaching.
Author’s take
This decision is an honest and timely one and in many ways reflects the nature of Nehra, who has always played the game with a smile on his face.
Thus, the team management should seriously consider accepting his request, come the T20 match in Delhi, since this long-serving member of the Indian team deserves to go out with a smile.