Ashish Nehra's farewell match is in hands of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri
All the cricket fans were stunned when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for three-match T20 series against New Zealand. The reason behind everyone's surprise was that veteran players such as all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Amit Mishra were not able to pass the yo-yo test, while the 38-year-old cricketer was able to do the same.
Soon after the selection committee announced the Indian squad Ashish Nehra declared that he will soon retire from International cricket after the first T20 International against Kiwi team at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on 1 November. But whether Ashish Nehra will play the first T20I match or not is yet to be decided.
MSK Prasad, the Chief selector, said that selection procedure of playing eleven is totally up to team management.
"Whether he (Nehra) is going to play or not, is clearly the decision of the team management. There are no assurances from our side (selectors), whether he is going to play or not. It will surely be decided by the team management," Prasad said while talking to reporters in Mumbai on 24 October.
MSK Prasad also clarified that there is a straightforward conversation with Indian pacer regarding the selection.
"There are lot of apprehensions going on about Ashish Nehra. I will make it very clear and candid - we have clearly communicated to the player, that is Ashish Nehra and the team management, that we are only looking at him till the New Zealand series," he further added.
"If you see the pattern with which we have selected India A players, the same bowlers have been continuing for the past one and half years in all the A tours. That means they are very much in line (for selection), and they have really done well in South Africa (A tour) and also at home against New Zealand," Prasad added.
Here is the Indian squad for first T20I: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ashish Nehra
Note: Veteran player Ashish Nehra has been selected in the team only for the first T20I.
