Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra: a brief biography of a cricketer
Ashish Nehra was born on April 29, 1979 in a Jat family in Delhi, India. He deservedly considered one of the brightest cricketers in the country. Unfortunately, his career cannot be called ideal: he missed several essential tournaments due to injuries and subsequent operations, although he retained his place in the national team. According to Ashish himself, over the years of energetic performances, he had to give consent to 12 surgical procedures. In the end, the accumulated problems forced Nehrа to think about retirement, which he announced in 2017. Javagal Srinath commented on his colleague’s decision as follows:
“It’s very sad. His departure leaves a gap that cannot be filled. His experience, influence on the team and the way he conducted the game while remaining in the shadows can hardly be forgotten.”
Nehra declared himself back in 1997, having played for the Delhi team. Soon the novice bowler was invited to the national club, but several more years passed before a full debut in the Indian Premier League. In 2008, the bowler joined the ranks of the Mumbai Indians and won the title of “Player of the Match” in May, destroying three wickets in a confrontation with the Rajasthan Royals. Having changed several more clubs, Ashish stopped a step away from the Purple Cup in 2014, losing the prestigious award to teammate Dwayne Bravo. The pinnacle of Nehra’s career was the victory in the Indian Premier League in 2016, which he celebrated with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In total, Ashish Nehra changed five IPL clubs:
- Mumbai Indians (2008);
- Delhi Daredevils (2009-2010);
- Pune Warriors India (2011-2012);
- Delhi Daredevils (2013);
- Chennai Super Kings (2014-2015);
- Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016-2017).
Nehra is the second oldest player in the country’s history, representing it in T20I at the age of 38 (second only to Rahul Dravid in this indicator). He is currently the bowler coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Ashish Nehra: game statistics
| Competition Category | Test | ODI | T201 |
| Matches | 17 | 120 | 27 |
| Runs | 80 | 141 | 28 |
| Average performance | 42.40 | 31.57 | 22.29 |
| Balls served | 3447 | 5609 | 588 |
| Best score | 10 | 10 | 7 |
Ashish Nehra: performances at the international level
Ashish Nehra debuted in 1999 against Sri Lanka. Two years later, he made his first ODI appearance, playing against Zimbabwe. In 2003, the cricketer was included in the national team at the World Cup in South Africa, where he demonstrated good statistics (6/23).
Despite a series of injuries, Nehra regularly participated in the national games. The 2011 World Cup was perhaps the most controversial in his entire cricket career: having failed the match against South Africa, he still got a chance to rehabilitate himself in the semi-final against Pakistan and brilliantly took advantage of it. However, the squad was forced to cope in the final match without Ashish, who was injured again.
Ashish was included in the symbolic T20 World Cup team in 2016, but soon thought about retiring. He later confessed:
“Yes, it’s difficult, but all people are different. I have always believed that the opportunity to say goodbye to sports at home is a great success. It’s better to leave at the peak when everyone says that you can still spend six months or even a year on the field. Of course, this is a very emotional moment because I have devoted more than twenty years to the game, but we all understand that no one can perform all his life. Sooner or later, this day comes for everyone, so the sooner you accept it, the better.”
