Ashish Nehra is set to retire from cricket on November 1 at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, Delhi irrespective of whether he gets to play in the 1st T20I against New Zealand or not. Prior to Nehra’s farewell, Indian players Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan share their fond memories of playing with ‘Nehraji’.
In a video that was posted by BCCI, Rohit Sharma talked about his fond memories with the left-arm pacer. The opener started with a joke saying,
Actually, I have a lot of memories but a lot of it I cannot share here (laughs). I am sure he will be watching this and laughing at it. But, I clearly remember his spell against England in 2003 World Cup, 6 for 23. That was one of the magical spells and one of the best in the World Cups for India. He has been a true gentleman of this game. I have been fortunate enough to play with him, share those memories with him. Now I can only wish him the best for his future, whatever he does. He will be a real good advisor and good friend to all of us.
Shikhar Dhawan felt that Nehra’s sense of humour was contagious. He said,
His sense of humour is also really good and he loves cracking jokes. Unke jokes maine bade sune hai. I always enjoy his company and not till cricket but even after his cricket career get [sic] over. I am sure that we will be friends and gonna have a good time in future too.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was impressed with the left-arm bowler’s work ethics which he said motivated him as well. He said,
When we see a guy who is 38-39, giving his 100 per cent on and off the field.
Watch the video here –
VIDEO: #ThankYouAshishNehra.
Teammates pay their tribute to the fast bowler and relive their fond memories of him.. https://t.co/HWxJJipJRd pic.twitter.com/y7ykeA3pf3— BCCI (@BCCI) November 1, 2017
Ajinkya Rahane also shared his adoration for the senior bowler in the team and said,
Unko itne saal se hum log dekhte hue aa rahe hai, jis tareeke a hard work unhone kiya hai, injnury ke baad jaise comeback kiya hai. I think bhut inspire karta hai hum sabko. As a fast bowler jis tareeke ke unke routines hote the, especially towards the end was fantastic to see.
Dinesh Karthik shared a tale from his debut international match. He recalled,
Interestingly, the debut match I played was an ODI versus England, NatWest 2004. His was the first ball I ever caught in international cricket. I still remember the ball Marcus Trescothick (former English opener) plays and he left that. I was very nervous then and that’s the fondest memory I have of him.
At the end of the video all the players wished Ashish Nehra good luck for life after retirement.
