Board looks to correct past mistakes through Nehra

It is debatable whether an unfair treatment of one player can be reversed by doing the right thing for the other. But India’s national cricket selectors must be applauded for picking Ashish Nehra for the first T20 International against New Zealand.

The 38-year-old left-arm pace bowler had expressed his desire to retire in front of his home crowd and the first of the three T20 games to be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground will give Nehra the opportunity to bid adieu in front of the fans.

A debate began after Nehra, finding himself excess to requirements on being selected for the T20s against Australia,

requested the team ended their careers away from the field when the BCCI should have ensured they got a farewell game and gave their biggest stakeholders, fans, the I-wasthere moment.

Compared to them, Nehra hardly played for India. His frail frame wasn’t suited for bowling fast. The result: Just 17 Tests (44 wickets), 120 ODIs (157 wickets) and 26 T20Is (34 wickets) in an 18-year India career.

Credit to the Delhi bowler, he never compromised on pace, and was always honest in assessing himself. A member of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad, he missed the final against Sri Lanka due to a hand injury.

But who can forget the matchwinning 6/23 against England in Durban – after not even warming up due to an ankle injury – and combined efforts with Javagal Srinath that carried Sourav Ganguly’s side to the final of the 2003 World Cup in southern Africa?

One man for sure will be nostalgic when Nehra walks out for his farewell game, one who rode pillion on Nehra’s scooter daily to the training ground with the dream of playing for India one day – Virender Sehwag.

NEWDELHI: A BUNCH OF INDIA GREATS ENDED THEIR CAREERS AWAY FROM THE FIELD WITHOUT A FAREWELL GAME