Wishes poured out in huge number as former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra celebrated his 41st birthday. A World Cup winner in 2011, Nehra bid adieu to international cricket in 2017 ending an 18-year long career that saw him bounce back from several injuries and surgeries to lead India’s bowling attack. Lovingly called 'Nehra Ji' by his colleagues and fans, Nehra made his international debut for India in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 1999 but persistent injuries saw him fail to add his place permanently in the Indian team. The Delhi cricket association renamed a stand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium after Nehra in honour of his contribution towards cricket. Happy Birthday Ashish Nehra: 6/23 vs England in 2003 World Cup and Other Brilliant Performances by Former Indian Pacer.

Nehra was part of the 2003 World Cup where he also registered his best ODI figures of 6/23 in a match against England. He also later played at the 2011 Cricket World Cup but missed the final due to fractured finger, which occurred during the semi-final clash against Pakistan.

Ashish Nehra at RCB

Happy Birthday Ashish Nehra

Nehra On & Off the Field

Happy Birthday Nehra Ji

Nehra and His Record Number of Surgeries

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ICC Wishes Ashish Nehra

Nehra’s career slowly dwindled into the shadows post the 2011 World Cup but he bounced back with consistent domestic performances and was in the team for the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup. He was India’s best bowler throughout the tournament and was even included in the team of the tournament despite India getting knocked out in the semis.

Nehra represented India in 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 27 T20I matches and took 44, 157 and 34 wickets respectively. He holds the rare record of being the second oldest player to represent India in T20I cricket after Rahul Dravid. Nehra was also part of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 2016 IPL winning team. He last served as the bowling coach of RCB before relinquishing his position ahead of the 2020 IPL players' auctions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2020 01:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).