Calcutta/New Delhi: Ashish Nehra is set to retire from competitive cricket after the first T20 International against New Zealand at his home ground, Feroz Shah Kotla, on November 1.
According to a senior BCCI official privy to the development, the 38-year-old Nehra has intimated his decision to head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli.
With ICC not slotting any World T20Is in 2018, Nehra apparently told the team management that it is only fair that performing juniors have a longer rope. It is understood that Nehra won't even play the Indian Premier League next season.
In an interview to The Telegraph after being recalled to the squad for the T20I series against Australia, Nehra had said: "At this age I don't look beyond one series, for I can't say that I am hoping to play for another two years. If I was a batsman, I could of course have knocked on the doors for another three-four years."
Making his India debut back in 1999 under Mohammed Azharuddin, Nehra has so far played 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T20Is. He has picked 44 Test wickets, besides 157 ODI and 34 T20I scalps.
"Yes, Ashish has told both Ravi and Virat that he does not want to continue beyond November 1 when India plays New Zealand at the Kotla. Obviously, there is some element of surprise. One thought that he would like to continue till the home season against Sri Lanka. But he feels, it's the right time to move on," the senior official said.
Nehra was recently picked for the three-match T20 International series against Australia but everyone was surprised when he did not figure in the playing XI for the first two matches.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are in-form bowlers and Ashish felt that it's only fair in the interest of the team that they continue.
"Bhuvi has improved as a T20 bowler in leaps and bounds and Ashish said that the pair should continue. Had there not been a match at the Kotla next month, Ashish would have retired after playing the third T20 International in Hyderabad on October 13," the official said.
The Kotla T20I will give Nehra a chance to finish his injury-plagued career at his home ground. He is best remembered for his 6 for 23 against England at Durban in the 2003 World Cup.
He was also a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad with a match-turning performance in the semi-final against Pakistan. He missed the final due to a finger fracture.
Nehra made his international debut in a Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 1999, and for a few years was a consistent presence in India's limited-overs squads.
Between September 2005 and June 2009, Nehra did not play a single international match for India, but returned in the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup.
Nehra returned to domestic cricket for the 2011-12 season and continued to play for Delhi and zonal teams in first-class and List A competitions.
He turned out for four franchises between 2012 and 2016: Pune Warriors, Delhi DareDevils, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
His most impressive season came with Super Kings in 2015, when he picked up 22 wickets to finish among the top-five wicket-takers in that edition.
It is learnt that a few IPL franchises want Nehra as their bowling coach-cum-mentor as his expertise and knowledge with white ball is considered to be unparalleled.
