Every cricketer should be given send off like Ashish Nehra: Kapil Dev

"Every cricketer should be given a memorable warm send off like veteran pacer Ashish Nehra and should be told that you served the nation well," says legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev.

At an event in the national capital, Kapil said, "The cricketer will feel honoured if given a send off similar to one being given to Ashish Nehra today."

Nehra will wear the Indian jersey for one last time when the Virat Kohli-led side head into the opening T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium later today.

It should be noted that Nehra, who plays for Delhi in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will also not play in the country's T20 League after his retirement.

The left-arm pacer, who made his India debut back in 1999 against Sri Lanka in Colombo, represented the country in 17 Tests, 120 ODIs and 26 T20Is.

However, Nehra has been hit with a long string of injuries like ankle, bowel, hamstring, shoulder and back injuries throughout his 18-year long career. And this is the main reason why a bowler of his calibre struggled to cement his place in the national side.

During the said period, he underwent as many as 12 surgeries and many other small setbacks.

As a fast bowler, he has picked up 44 Test wickets, besides 157 ODI and 34 T20 wickets.

Nehra is best remembered for his superb bowling spell against England at Durban in the 2003 ICC World Cup, where he picked six wickets for just 23 runs.

Meanwhile, Kapil Dev also reflected his views on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) new changes to its playing conditions.

The former cricketer said the new changes will help in improving cricket and is for the betterment of the players.

"The new cricket rules including bat weight will help improve the game. The new cricketers like Hardik Pandya, Bhubneshwar and Bhumra have developed their own style of cricket with difficult action. They have driven away from copy book cricket, which is a welcome sign. They can beat all records set by former cricketers," Dev said.

The significant changes include a restriction on the dimensions of the bat, the introduction of player send-offs for misconduct and changes to the Decision Review System, all of which will commence from the two upcoming Test series - when South Africa hosts Bangladesh and the one between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.