Photos: Nehra-ji bids adieu to cricket

Life comes full circle for Ashish Nehra who will hopefully bid adieu to cricket on Wednesday at Feroz Shah Kotla.

Feroz Shah Kotla was where it all began for Nehra. He started playing First-Class cricket for Delhi from the 1997-98 Ranji Trophy. Nehra was an instant hit as he ended with 5 wickets in his first match, against Haryana © Getty Images

Nehra made his Test debut for India in February 1999 against Sri Lanka. His best performance came against Zimbabwe in 2001, where he finished as India’s best bowler in the tour. He claimed 11 wickets at 19.72. His best figures in Test cricket remain 4 for 72 © Getty Images

Ashish Nehra took India’s best figures at a World Cup – 6/23 against England. © Getty

In 2004, a dead-rubber final match against England in the NatWest Challenge owed a sizeable success to Nehra’s canny bowling at Lord’s. India defended their total of 204 successfully winning the match by 23 runs and Nehra ending with figures of 3 for 23 © Getty Images

Although it was a losing final by 18 runs, Nehra stood tall with another six-wicket haul. The summit clash of the Indian Oil Cup 2005 saw Nehra claim 6 for 59. In fact, he was the lone wicket-taker for India that day. He remains the only Indian to take six wickets in ODIs twice © Getty Images

In 2009, Nehra ended with 19 wickets from 13 matches for Delhi Daredevils. He was the third-highest wicket-taker during the season. It was also a path to enter the Indian squad © AFP

Returning from injury after four years of layoff, Nehra was found what he does best. His 4 wickets played an important role in 2010, when India lifted their first Asia Cup in 15 years. India trumped Sri Lanka in the final by 81 runs © Getty Images

A 2011 World Cup semi-final. India versus Pakistan. Nehra was making return in the Playing XI after a sore back. His figures of 10-0-33-2 (the best for India in the match) saw him being ruled out of the final in Mumbai, never to be seen again, at least for a while © Getty Images

Nehra’s vital double-wicket over in the PowerPlay overs and extracting Ben Stokes at the death pushed India to victory in the second T20I against England earlier this year. How Nehra and young Jasprit Bumrah coped with the dew was exemplary © AFP

Nehra proved to be lucky for Sunrisers Hyderabad as well, his fifth IPL team. Up against Royal Challengers yet again, Nehra found his name in the record books. At the age of 37, Nehra became the first left-arm bowler to pick 100 IPL wickets. He was also eighth bowler to achieve this feat in IPL © AFP

Life comes full circle for Ashish Nehra. He had started his journey at Kotla. If all goes well, he will be bidding adieu to cricket in this very ground as India take on New Zealand in the first T20I in this very ground © AFP

Nehra’s sensational season continued in IPL, this time for Chennai Super Kings. During the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore Nehra ended with career-best T20 figures of 4 for 10 © IANS

Nehra made it to the headlines with creditable showing in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy. He ended with figures of 6 for 16 from 10 overs to bowl out Vidarbha for a meagre 88 in the first innings at Delhi © Getty Images

Nehra’s two-decade cricketing career is so illustrious that the pacer has played under seven captains for Team India — Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli. We are not even counting Inzamam-ul-Haq, his captain for Asia XI © AFP

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