New Delhi: Former India pacer Ashish Nehra recently revealed why he didn’t apply for the post of Team India head coach. Nehra’s ex-India teammate Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian team earlier this month and is set to begin his stint in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir was one of the two candidates who applied for the top post and was interviewed by BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
Gambhir was the favourite to replace Rahul Dravid as the new head coach ever since he helped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win their third title in IPL 2024. Gambhir, who rejoined KKR as a mentor ahead of IPL 2024, played a key role in the team’s memorable triumph. He pipped WV Raman for the India head coach post and is set to embark on a new journey in his coaching career with the Men in Blue.
Several high-profile names were linked with the India head coach post before Gambhir’s appointment was made official. The likes of Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming, Justin Langer and Mahela Jayawardene were all linked with the top job. However, BCCI’s preference was to hire an Indian for the head coach post and Gambhir fit the bill perfectly.
Nehra’s name was also doing the rounds for the head coach post with many endorsing the former India pacer after his terrific work with Gujarat Titans. Nehra helped the Titans win their maiden IPL title in their debut season in 2022 before helping them reach their second successive final in IPL 2023 where they missed out on the title by a whisker.
However, Nehra was not interested in the India head coach post and revealed he didn’t apply for the same due to his family commitments. Nehra said his children are still young and he cannot stay away from his family for nine months in a year.
“Meri abhi kabhi us taraf soch nahi gayi hai. My kids are young. GG (Gambhir) ke bacche bhi abhi young hai par sabki soch alag alag hoti hai, toh I am very happy where I am. I am not in the mood to travel for nine months (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),” Nehra told Sports Tak.
Gautam Gambhir will do well: Ashish Nehra
Speaking about Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of the Indian team, Nehra said coaching in international cricket is different than coaching in IPL. However, he expressed confidence in Gambhir’s abilities and said he will do well for India.
“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,” Nehra said.
“With Gambhir, I can confidently say with his passion, experience, he is going to make big changes, and he will do well,” he added.
Gambhir’s arrival has already led to some surprising changes in the Indian team as Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed captain in T20Is after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format. Suryakumar pipped Hardik Pandya in the race for captaincy. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the vice-captain in both ODIs and T20Is.
Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra, who led the franchise to their maiden IPL titke triumph in the debut season, revelaed why he didn’t apply for the post of the India head coach. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
