India vs New Zealand, 1st T20: Ashish Nehra to take field for the last time

Ashish Nehra is playing his last match. (Source: Twitter)

Ashish Nehra takes the field for the last time as the left-hander is set to retire from all forms of game after the first T20I against New Zealand in Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.  Kohli confirmed about Nehra playing the match after the toss. The Kotla ground felicitated Nehra by naming a stand after him.

“Ashish Nehra is playing. He has been a great servant for Indian cricket. He’s one of the smartest guys I have played with. It’s sad to see him go. Shreyas Iyer makes his debut at No. 4,” Kohli said.

The match will also mark an end to an 18-year international career that started with a Test match against Sri Lanka in 1999 at Colombo. Nehra was only a year older than how long his international career has gone on, and his domestic career has been even longer than that. He clarified that he would be ending both on Wednesday and also ruled himself out of the IPL too.

“There’s a particular reason [for my decision to retire], at one point everyone comes to know that it’s about time. It’s not an overnight decision. I have given it a good thought, especially looking at the way Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and [Jasprit] Bumrah have been bowling over the past 5-6 months,” Nehra said on Thursday ahead of the third and deciding T20I between India and Australia in Hyderabad.

All eyes on one man – Ashish Nehra #TeamIndia#INDvNZpic.twitter.com/cmsnV8isrd

— BCCI (@BCCI) 1 November 2017

Ashish Nehra was presented a commemorative trophy ahead of his retirement by @msdhoni and @imVkohli #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/wZBUL8agt7

— ICC (@ICC) 1 November 2017

“I think this is the way forward, especially the manner in which Bhuvneshwar has been bowling. In the last couple of years, whenever I’ve played with Bumrah, either of Bhuvi or [Mohammed] Shami have had to sit out. So I think this is the right time [to retire] and I think people are welcoming it.”

India have won the three-match ODI series but have never won a T20I against new Zealand.