On This Day in 2017: Throwback story – How India gave Ashish Nehra winning farewell in pacer’s final international match
Ashish Nehra was widely considered as one of the premier Indian fast bowlers of his time. Having made his international debut in a Test match against Sri Lanka in February 1999, Nehra went on to play 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20Is for his country, and ended up with 235 wickets across all formats.
It was nine years ago, on 1 November 2017 when the former Delhi cricketer played his last-ever match for India, in a T20I against New Zealand at new Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
India marked the occasion of Nehra’s farewell with a 53-run win over the Kiwis in what was the first T20I of a three-match series. India also went on to win the series 2-1.
Rohit, Dhawan give India a rocking start
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan made the most of the opportunity, producing a commanding batting display that laid the foundation for India’s imposing total.
Rohit and Dhawan both scored 80 runs, sharing a 158-run opening partnership. Their stand was India’s highest partnership in T20 internationals at the time.
Ish Sodhi eventually dismissed Dhawan and Hardik Pandya in the same over, but India’s scoring rate remained healthy. Kohli provided an unbeaten contribution of 26 from 11 deliveries as the hosts finished their 20 overs at 202/3.
New Zealand needed 203 runs to win but struggled to keep pace with the required rate. The visitors lost wickets at regular intervals, with Martin Guptill falling early to a spectacular running catch by Hardik Pandya off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling.
Tom Latham top-scored for New Zealand with 39, while Williamson contributed 28. Mitchell Santner added an unbeaten 27, but the visitors were restricted to 149/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Axar Patel was among India’s leading performers with the ball, returning figures of 2/20.
India’s victory was significant beyond the series result. It was their first win against New Zealand in T20 internationals, having lost all six of their previous encounters in the format.
For Nehra, however, the occasion was about bringing an end to a lengthy international journey. The 38-year-old was given the responsibility of bowling the final over of New Zealand’s innings, ensuring that his international career concluded with the ball in his hands.
He finished with figures of 0/29 from four overs. Although he did not claim a wicket, the Delhi crowd remained firmly behind the veteran as he completed his final six deliveries in an India shirt.
DDCA pays tribute to Nehra
The Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) also paid tribute to Nehra, naming one end of the ground as the Ashish Nehra end just for one day, on the day of his farewell match. Prior to the match, the then captain Virat Kohli and former captain MS Dhoni presented Nehra with a special memento.
Following the victory, Nehra took a lap of honour around the ground with his teammates. Kohli and Dhawan carried the retiring pacer on their shoulders as spectators cheered him during his farewell.
After his retirement, Nehra took up coaching duties. He was appointed the head coach of the newly-formed Gujarat Titans (GT) side ahead of IPL 2022, and led them to their maiden title on their debut IPL season. GT also finished as runners-up in the 2023 and 2026 editions, wherein they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) respectively.
