Veteran Indian paceman Ashish Nehra has decided to retire from international cricket. He is set to play his last match on his home ground - Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi.
The 38-year-old Nehra was a surprise pick in the Indian team for the ongoing Twenty20 International series against Australia. The three-match rubber is tied 1-1 with the decider on Friday (October 13) in Hyderabad.
Nehra did not feature in the opening two games against Australia as in-form new ball duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah was preferred.
Today (October 11), a "Press Trust of India" report said Nehra had informed captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri that he will retire on November 1 (Wednesday) after India-New Zealand T20I game in Delhi. It is a three-match series and Nehra will play in only the opening contest.
"Yes, Ashish has told both Ravi and Virat that he does not want to continue beyond November 1 when India plays New Zealand at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Obviously, there is some element of surprise. One thought that he would like to continue till the home season against Sri Lanka. But he feels, it's the right time to move on," the senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by PTI.
The left-arm seamer is also likely to quit from Indian Premier League (IPL). This year he played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Nehra made his international debut way back in 1999, in a Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Since then his career has been plagued by injuries. He has played 17 Tests (44 wickets), 120 ODIs (157 wickets) and 26 T20Is (34 wickets). He was part of India's 2011 World Cup winning squad.
