Ashish Nehra (1999-2017): The journey in pictures

Riddled with idiosyncrasies, inconsistencies and injuries, Ashish Nehra turned out to be one enigmatic character for Indian cricket: a tough nut to crack and an even tougher brain to figure.

Sporting a mile-wide smile wherever he sauntered in his torpid gait, Nehra managed to outlive several pacers of his generation with sheer determination, digging out enough motivation to return from exhausting surgeries and excruciating injuries.

His journey could have been branded as a career of ‘could-haves’, but Nehra never seemed to bother, so much so, that he made us not bother.

He became the butt of jokes on social media, but couldn’t care less, once quipping that he didn’t possess a cell phone to even go through the jokes.

Nehra first played for India in 1999

Stories of Nehra sharing a great camaraderie with Virender Sehwag have seeped out of social media, making fans aware of a time when the two used to share a scooter and travel to the Feroz Shah Kotla for the Delhi Ranji team’s practice.

At the age of 19, Nehra got his big break, earning a spot in the Test side against Sri Lanka in February 1999 at Colombo. The unimpressive debut hardly ruffled any feathers, and Nehra was soon forgotten. A change of guard under Sourav Ganguly gave him another chance.

Ashish Nehra played his first ODI in 2001

Part of a young group of pacers who were touted to move Indian cricket forward, Nehra, along with Zaheer Khan, made a re-entry, this time into ODIs as well. Perhaps the overlapping of his career with ‘Zak’ took some of the sheen off his bowling.

Nehra impressed against Zimbabwe in 2001

Against Zimbabwe, playing only his second Test, he helped India achieve their first overseas win in 15 years. His bowling had a unique zip to it, the ability to move the ball both ways was a characteristic few possessed, and Nehra slowly started settling into the new brand of Indian cricket.

Nehra got an early taste of success with the NatWest Trophy triumph

The victory that gave Ganguly’s India the impetus they needed, and laid the groundwork for future glories was the NatWest Triumph in 2002. Before the series, Nehra’s overseas tours were limited to Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.

He earned a place in the Indian attack for the 2003 World Cup

While Nehra didn’t perform overwhelmingly well, he staked a claim for a spot in the World Cup, featuring in a line-up that was spearheaded by an ageing Javagal Srinath.

The Super Six spell against England remains Nehra's most memorable performance

One spell that changed how people perceived Nehra forever was the game-changing burst of pace bowling against England at Durban. That Super Six clash, perhaps, gave India the thrust they needed to reach the finals.

Despite a swollen ankle, Nehra bowled unchanged from one end

Struggling with a swollen ankle, Nehra was seen retching by the side of the pitch and in a bid to stay on the field, he consumed bananas. Ganguly then decided to toss the ball to the pacer.

In an unchanged spell of ten-overs, holding one end, Nehra made inroads into the England batting, completely demolishing their chase with a six-fer that found its way into the record books. Hitting perfect lines and drifting the ball around marginally, he seemed to be in a different dimension.

Nehra fell at the final hurdle

The Ganguly-led team, however, stumbled on the cusp of glory, losing out to Australia emphatically in the finals.

After the World Cup, injuries started to surface for Nehra

The emergence of Irfan Pathan came as a sudden jolt to Nehra, who was just cementing his spot after the World Cup. On their tour to Australia, and subsequently Pakistan, Pathan featured in the team and impressed everyone with his raw pace and banana swing. With Zaheer also amongst the ranks, a trio of three-left arm pacers would have unbalanced the Indian side.

Post the World Cup, the expectations rose enormously for Nehra

Nehra still played his part: although the pressure of expectations rose enormously after his Durban destruction, he was effective in the initial overs and reliable at the death. The cliffhanger against Pakistan reaffirmed that he could be banked upon when the pressure was high.

Nehra played his last Test at Rawalpindi in 2004

All this while, his Test career kept plummeting. With serious questions about his body being able to withstand the rigours of white-ball cricket, the selectors pushed Pathan up the pecking order. Nehra got to play only 17 Tests, the last of which was against Pakistan at Rawalpindi.

2005 was one of Nehra's most prolific years

In 2004 and 2005, he featured in tours to England, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and got a place in the side for the home series against Pakistan. Incidentally, 2005 was one of his most prolific years, with the cherry on the cake being his figures of 6-59 against Sri Lanka in the Indian Oil Cup finals. In the process, he became the first Indian bowler to take two six-fers in ODIs, a feat that still holds.

In 2005, Nehra became the only Indian to take two six-fers in ODIs

Under Greg Chappell, a fresh set of pacers found their way into the Indian side, making the pool of fast bowling enormous: Munaf Patel, VRV Singh, RP Singh and later, Ishant Sharma, were all tried. Struggling with poor form and fitness, Nehra had to make way: the final nail in the coffin was when he tore a ligament in his ankle during a net session. For the next three years and 294 days, he didn't get to play for India.

Nehra earned a recall in 2009

The third-highest wicket-taker for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2009, Nehra forced his way back into the national side, fully utilising the spot left by an injured Zaheer Khan. On his recall, he picked up six wickets in the series against West Indies, and arrived just in time to be in the reckoning for the 2009 Champions Trophy.

From 2009 to 2011, Nehra became a crucial part of the bowling attack

Over the next year and a half, Nehra got an extended run in the Indian team, right up to the 2011 World Cup. His experience was invaluable, helping the side form a perfect mix with the youngsters in their quest for the ultimate title. 2009 was his most prolific year, fetching him 31 wickets from 21 games in ODIs.

A four-pronged pace attack meant that competition was tight for Nehra

With the team management chopping and changing, Nehra got to feature in just three games, but made sure that he created an impact. Against Pakistan, his spell of 2-33 in the semi-finals stifled the chase, drying out the run-flow to make sure that India's World Cup record against their arch-rivals remained clean.

Nehra played his part in the WC clash against Pakistan

A finger injury while fielding against Pakistan quashed his dreams of playing a World Cup game again, and Nehra had to sit out while his teammates chased glory. After that, his path to making a return became extremely difficult: another generation of pacers were staking their claim: Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron and R Vinay Kumar formed more than a handful, brushing Zaheer Khan and Nehra out of contention.

Post the finger injury, Nehra was out of the Indian team for four years

While Zaheer retired in 2015, Nehra stuck around, plying his trade in the IPL in the hopes of a recall.

At 36, Nehra made a spectacular return

A surprising recall, courtesy another good IPL season where he was the fourth highest wicket-taker, helped Nehra make a comeback just months before his 37th birthday. People questioned his place in the side, but he showed remarkable adaptability to remain relevant to the team’s cause, evolving into a T20 specialist.

He evolved admirably to become a T20 specialist

It was ideal for an ageing Nehra; the creaking bones could allow him only four overs, but even in those 24 deliveries, he showed flashes of brilliance.

Nehra had enough fuel left to play in the Asia Cup and World T20

Unsurprisingly, he broke down yet again, this time midway through the 2016 IPL season. Before that, however, he played in Australia, was part of the Asia Cup and even featured in the World T20, taking 16 wickets from 15 games that year.

In 2017, Nehra managed yet another recall, and showed flashes of brilliance

After the hamstring injury, another recall would have been incomprehensible. Remarkably, Nehra managed it once again, and was recalled for the T20s against England. In the 2nd T20I at Nagpur, he gave a remarkable display of death bowling, choking the run-chase in the company of Jasprit Bumrah, with figures of 4-0-28-3.

With Bumrah emerging as an automatic choice, Nehra decided to step away

Incredibly, even after another hamstring injury, he returned, this time as a 38-year-old, in the final leg of his career. This time, he found himself in a scenario where fitness was the prerogative, and creaking bones were being hurled aside. A man who played on his own terms, Nehra decided to retire, asking the management for a farewell game at Feroz Shah Kotla, the very ground where his legend began.

Nehra will play his last game against New Zealand on November 1

He might not be the quickest, the most fashionable, or the fittest bowler to have played, but Nehra made sure that he won’t be a forgotten commodity in Indian cricket.