NEW DELHI: The far end of the Ferozeshah Kotla - the Stadium End - boldly read 'Ashish Nehra End'. It was an respectable designation, albeit only for a day however the local affiliation had performed its bit in honouring one among its World Cup heroes enjoying his final world game. It was Nehra's night and his mates in blue made certain it was a memorable one.
As Nehra, wearing a stubble, despatched down the overall ball of the match and his occupation, an expected yorker out of doors the off-stump, India finally broke the jinx against New Zealand in T20Is with an emphatic 53-run victory.
Nehra's agonising injury-marred start-stop occupation came to an end in entrance of a cheering house crowd. The good-bye lap around the Kotla was greeted with loud cheers for 'Nehra-ji'.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan threatened to do what no other opening pair has performed in T20 cricket - bat until the 16th over - until Ish Sodhi had Dhawan stumped with India's total at 158. Rohit hit 80 off 55 balls and Shikhar a 52-ball 80.
Nehra's final two captains in his 18-year-long occupation, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, were given off the mark hitting the ball to the stand bearing Nehra's identify. The birthday party was on, nostalgia sweeping around the ground. India had posted 202/three on a track that took prodigious turn from time to time. New Zealand walked off with the heavy burden of having dropped Rohit, Shikhar and Kohli.
Hardik Pandya's working catch at long-off - off Chahal - to disregard Martin Guptill in the second one over showed how each aspect of India's game came together on the night. The workforce sang a tremendous tune to bid an appropriate adieu to the person who has been pivotal in two of India's maximum memorable World Cup campaigns in fresh cricket.
Nehra, working in from his end, making him the second one bowler after James Anderson to take action, appeared like a script written for a super farewell birthday party. The Kiwi chase by no means threatened and the second one half of the match become a literal compilation of moments for Nehra.
The evening's first grimace came when Dhoni's outstretched palms palmed a mistimed faucet off Nehra down the leg-side. The grimace soon gave method to a grin and the reminiscences of Nehra unapologetically swearing at a young Dhoni for shedding Shahid Afridi came flooding back.
Then, Kohli palmed away Kane Williamson's lofted force at mid-off. This time the smile appeared to pardon the 'little boy' who once gained a trophy from Nehra. That photograph - which has long gone viral - has made Nehra's final comeback to world cricket all the more romantic.
Flipping throughout the historical past books, one discovered cricket is perhaps not used to glowing performances in hyped farewell games. Nehra's final figures of 4-Zero-29-Zero vindicated the workforce management's will to persist with him in the shorter codecs over the past 21 months.
As Nehra walked off the bottom, the group crying out his identify, he would notice Indian cricket has grown substantially on the energy and exuberance brought in through the Indian batch of early 2000s. The Rohit-Dhawan partnership, the immaculate catching and run-outs and the chest-thumping confidence are all the results of the seeds sown in the younger Nehras, Zaheers, Yuvrajs and Harbhajans.
It was only fitting that the final surviving member from the first workforce huddle all through the 2003 World Cup delivered the workforce speech on a memorable evening.
As Nehra, wearing a stubble, despatched down the overall ball of the match and his occupation, an expected yorker out of doors the off-stump, India finally broke the jinx against New Zealand in T20Is with an emphatic 53-run victory.
Nehra's agonising injury-marred start-stop occupation came to an end in entrance of a cheering house crowd. The good-bye lap around the Kotla was greeted with loud cheers for 'Nehra-ji'.
Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan threatened to do what no other opening pair has performed in T20 cricket - bat until the 16th over - until Ish Sodhi had Dhawan stumped with India's total at 158. Rohit hit 80 off 55 balls and Shikhar a 52-ball 80.
Nehra's final two captains in his 18-year-long occupation, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, were given off the mark hitting the ball to the stand bearing Nehra's identify. The birthday party was on, nostalgia sweeping around the ground. India had posted 202/three on a track that took prodigious turn from time to time. New Zealand walked off with the heavy burden of having dropped Rohit, Shikhar and Kohli.
Hardik Pandya's working catch at long-off - off Chahal - to disregard Martin Guptill in the second one over showed how each aspect of India's game came together on the night. The workforce sang a tremendous tune to bid an appropriate adieu to the person who has been pivotal in two of India's maximum memorable World Cup campaigns in fresh cricket.
Nehra, working in from his end, making him the second one bowler after James Anderson to take action, appeared like a script written for a super farewell birthday party. The Kiwi chase by no means threatened and the second one half of the match become a literal compilation of moments for Nehra.
The evening's first grimace came when Dhoni's outstretched palms palmed a mistimed faucet off Nehra down the leg-side. The grimace soon gave method to a grin and the reminiscences of Nehra unapologetically swearing at a young Dhoni for shedding Shahid Afridi came flooding back.
Then, Kohli palmed away Kane Williamson's lofted force at mid-off. This time the smile appeared to pardon the 'little boy' who once gained a trophy from Nehra. That photograph - which has long gone viral - has made Nehra's final comeback to world cricket all the more romantic.
Flipping throughout the historical past books, one discovered cricket is perhaps not used to glowing performances in hyped farewell games. Nehra's final figures of 4-Zero-29-Zero vindicated the workforce management's will to persist with him in the shorter codecs over the past 21 months.
As Nehra walked off the bottom, the group crying out his identify, he would notice Indian cricket has grown substantially on the energy and exuberance brought in through the Indian batch of early 2000s. The Rohit-Dhawan partnership, the immaculate catching and run-outs and the chest-thumping confidence are all the results of the seeds sown in the younger Nehras, Zaheers, Yuvrajs and Harbhajans.
It was only fitting that the final surviving member from the first workforce huddle all through the 2003 World Cup delivered the workforce speech on a memorable evening.
Nehra farewell made sweeter as India trump New Zealand
![Nehra farewell made sweeter as India trump New Zealand]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
November 02, 2017
Rating:
