In Pics: Around Friends and Family, Nehra Ends Career On a High

Ashish Nehra retired from cricket on Wednesday.

For Ashish Nehra, it ended where it all began.

As a teenager, Nehraji, as he’s fondly known, made his Ranji debut for Delhi at the Ferozshah Kotla stadium. And on Wednesday, as a 38-year-old, he made his final bow in international cricket at the very same venue.

As a send-off gift almost, his India teammates won the T20 against New Zealand on the day, India’s first in the format against the Kiwis. For the cameras though, there was a formal moment before the match as well, with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni both presenting Nehra with a memento before the toss.

Having made his international debut in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 1999, Nehra played his first One-Day International (ODI) against Zimbabwe in 2001. Thanks to his frequent injuries, he has managed to play just 17 Test matches in his lengthy career, claiming 44 wickets. His ODI career has yielded 157 wickets over 120 matches and he has 34 scalps in 27 T20Is.

One of his best performances in an Indian jersey was at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where he used the pace friendly conditions to good use. He decimated England in a Group A match on February 26, recording his career best figures of 6/23 as India won by 82 runs.

He was a regular feature in the Indian squad until the 2011 World Cup when an injury to his finger during the semi-final against Pakistan heralded another lengthy lay-off.

Recalled for the T20I series against Australia in January last year, Nehra was part of the Indian squad in the shortest format and represented the country at World T20 in 2016.

Having decided to retire however, Nehra donned the India Blue for the final time at his home ground in Delhi, around family and friends.