Ashish Nehra, an ex-pace bowler from India, spoke frankly about why he did not want to coach the team as he was one of the contenders vying for it. However, he had a small family and it was not appropriate for him to be moving around for nine months together with them which is why Nehra has been with GT since its inception in 2022 as their coach too.
BCCI has recently appointed Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer as the head coach for a period of four years until 2027. The Indian team won the T20 World Cup under Dravid’s captaincy just before the appointment of Gambhir as new coach. In a recent interview with Sports Tak, Nehra talked extensively on how he feels regarding coaching India. He stated:
“I never thought about it. My children are still young. Gautam Gambhir also has young children, but everyone has different ideas. That’s why I am happy where I am. I am not in the mood to travel for nine months.”
In the year 2022, Nehra aided GT in clinching the IPL trophy and in 2023 they made it to the finals. But without Hardik Pandya and Mohd Shami this time round, Nehra’s coaching period shines out because he led them without experiencing playoffs for the first time ever.
“The role is distinct from what I experience in the IPL”- Ashish Nehra
As per Ashish Nehra, it is distinct from leading IPL teams but believes the appointed Gautam Gambhir will bring revolutionary transformations into the current version of Team India.
This year marks Gautam Gambhir’s debut as mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who recently celebrated their third championship in IPL 2024. Before that he had led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL trophies during 2012 and 2014 seasons.
“The challenges are always there and it is a great opportunity also. It is a different kind of role compared to IPL. Gautam is always very passionate about the game, and has so much experience. Every coach and captain thinks differently,” said Nehra in the same video.
“With Gambhir, I can confidently say with his passion, experience, he is going to make big changes, and he will do well. One thing is for sure. He will never change as a person. Have seen him all these years, he is the same. He is very up front and passionate,” he added.
In the finals of both the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups, Gambhir was a key player in India’s victory as he was the top scorer for them. The upcoming white-ball tour (3 T20Is, 3 ODIs) of Sri Lanka will be his first assignment as Team India head coach beginning, Saturday 27th July.
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