File photo of Jasprit Bumrah.© BCCI

File image of Gujarat Titans© BCCI

File image of the 2011 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team© Twitter@BCCI

Suryakumar Yadav revealed that players have been asked not to sit in smaller groups.© AFP

If there was an award for ‘Most Animated Coach of the Year’, Ashish Nehra would definitely be in the running.

For, much like football’s Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Nehra, currently the coach of Gujarat Titans, patrols the boundaries during IPL matches, constantly chatting and interacting with his players on cricket strategies.

It is a coaching style that is not too familiar to Indian cricket fans, but this is Nehra’s style. “That’s the way I am,” he says candidly over a virtual conversation, “If I am not operating the way I feel like, I should be in the movies. Because there are retakes there, but not in sport. As a coach, one should do whatever is best for the team.”

Nehra knows that, as does his Delhi teammate and friend, Gautam Gambhir, who was recently appointed as the coach of the Indian team. Gambhir, known as an aggressive coach, is currently on his first official assignment in Sri Lanka and Nehra wishes him well. “GG is very passionate, hardworking and never minces his words. With him, there will be transparency. Indian cricket has shown positive results in the last few years and under Gautam, that will only improve,” says Nehra, who is part of the commentary team in the ongoing India-Sri Lanka series.

‘CSK is special’

Ashish Nehra, a left-arm pacer with a gift to swing and seam the cricket ball, tasted success as an Indian fast bowler in the early 2000s. Later, once the IPL gained popularity, Nehra also had a memorable stint with the Chennai Super Kings, a phase he looks back with fondness. “It was a great franchise but they were also lucky that MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming stuck together for a long time. CSK is a special franchise even for youngsters, who learn a lot. Going forward, I don’t think we will see the same coach and captain for many years in a franchise.”

Ashish Nehra with MS Dhoni
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

MS Dhoni, who has been associated with the Chennai franchise since its inception, is younger than Nehra, but that has not stopped the pacer from learning from him. “For me, the most important thing about MS (Dhoni) is that he has remained the same. No one wants to lose, but he has been the same with people, irrespective of results.”

At his prime, Nehra’s deliveries were considered hard to face but he himself had to face quite a bit of hardship; Nehra was injury-prone and had to reportedly undergo almost ten surgeries during his playing days. Prod him about that and he says, “Well, no one wants to get injured but yes, they happened to me. Experience teaches you how to handle these things. It also required a lot of mental strength to overcome those phases. I tell youngsters to take care of themselves, especially if they want to play the longer format of the game. For batting, wicketkeeping or spin bowling, fitness is key, but it becomes the all-important factor for a fast bowler. 80 percent of pace bowling is about how you handle your body. Whoever is fitter will play longer.”

India-Sri Lanka matches are streaming on the Sony Sports Network

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra has shared his views on the possibility of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing till the ODI World Cup 2027. This comes after new India head coach Gautam Gambhir claimed that if the two veterans manage to stay fit, he’ll surely have Rohit and Kohli in the planks for the marquee event in 2027. Kohli and Rohit announced their T20I retirements after the T20 World Cup final last month, and will solely focus on ODIs and Tests with two major ICC events scheduled to take place next year. Speaking on Kohli and Rohit’s chances of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup, Nehra said that the duo will have to keep raising the bar.

“It involves both physical and mental aspects. It depends on your passion and motivation and in these aspects, there is no dearth at all when it comes to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It’s because of their drive that they have reached where they are today. From here, young guns like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan will keep making runs and push you. For that, you need to keep raising your bar. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have done that and shown,” Nehra told Sports Today.

While Gambhir has kept the door open for Rohit and Kohli’s participation, Nehra insisted that 2027 is far away but if they’re able to make it till then it will be great for the team.

“2027 is far away at this point. But it’s great thinking. If you ask me ‘I want to be 18 all my life. I didn’t want to retire. If you give Gambhir a choice and tell him his body is fit, he will say ‘No Sai Sudharsan, I am ready’. 4 years is far away, but it’s a great thought. But, if that can be done, nothing like it,” he added.

Gambhir’s stint as India’s new head coach will begin from July 27, when Suryakumar Yadav and co will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series. 

The series consists of three T20Is, followed by as many ODIs, starting from August 2. Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid to become India’s new coach, whose tenure came to an end after India’s victory at the T20 World Cup 2024. 

Gambhir, who won the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, is likely to bring a different approach to Team India.

After months of specualtion, Gautam Gambhir‘s appointment as head coach of the Indian team was made official earlier this month by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Gambhir, who replaced Rahul Dravid at the helm, is already in Sri Lanka with the Indian team for the upcoming white-ball tour. Gambhir was one of the two candidates interviewed for the role by BCCI’s COC, following his successful stint as mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The likes of Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Mahela Jayawardene, and Stephen Fleming, were also reportedly in the race.

However, the BCCI’s priority was always an Indian. While Gambhir’s appointment was made official on July 9, after Rahul Dravid’s contract came to an end, former India pacer Ashish Nehra was also floating in the media.

During a recent interaction, Nehra has opened up about why he didn’t apply. The 45-year-old insisted that his children are young, and he was not in the mood to travel for nine months.

“Meri abhi kabhi us tareh soch nahi gayi hai. My kids are young. GG 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 Today.

Meanwhile, Gambhir also confirmed the names of two assistant coaches that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approved. 

Though the complete list of coaches will be confirmed only after the Sri Lanka tour, Gambhir is happy to see the board agreeing to most of his demands as the head coach of the Indian team. 

During a media briefing, Gambhir revealed that his former Kolkata Knight Riders mates, Ryan Ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar have joined him as assistant coaches.

“This is going to be the crux of the support staff. As I said, we still have one month after the Sri Lanka tour. We will try and finalise after the Sri Lanka tour. But, I have worked with people like Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate very closely. In the last two months, especially in the IPL, I have enjoyed working with them. They are thorough professionals. Hope Ryan and Abhishek can have a successful stint.

“Hopefully, we can have a successful tenure as coaches. I am really looking forward to work with the rest of the other guys as well. I have had some really good feedback from the players about the other guys. I am really looking forward to working with them. My experience and learning have been been very simple,” Gambhir said.

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya found the leadership responsibility in the shortest format, which seemed to be his after Rohit Sharma‘s retirement, taken away from him after Gautam Gambhir was hired as the team’s new head coach. Gambhir, in consultation with chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, handed the captaincy responsibility to Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, while Shubman Gill was made his deputy. Reflecting on the decision, Ashish Nehra, the man who coached Hardik during his role as captain at Gujarat Titans, isn’t surprised to see this move by the Indian team management.

Hardik and Nehra had a successful stint at Gujarat Titans as captain-coach, which saw the team reach two Indian Premier League finals in two years, winning one. But, Nehra feels Gambhir has some other ideas with respect to the way he plans to run the Indian team going forward, and Hardik doesn’t come into those plans as a captain or vice-captain.

“No, I am not surprised. When it comes to cricket, these things keep happening. Yes, Hardik Pandya was vice-captain in the World Cup, but at the same time, there is a new coach who has come in. Every coach and every captain have different thoughts. At this time, his (Gambhir’s) ideas are toward that direction,” Nehra told Sports Tak.

In the press conference before Team India flight to Sri Lanka, Agarkar cited fitness as the primary reason behind the decision to deny T20I captaincy to Hardik. Nehra too was in agreement with the chief selector on the topic.

“I think Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir have made it clear, that’s good. He is playing one format, 50-over also, he is playing less. Hardik Pandya, in white-ball cricket, will remain a very, very important player for Indian cricket. When you have him, you can have 4 fast bowlers, he brings in a different balance to the side and keep in mind, that there’s no impact player in international cricket.

“Not just Hardik Pandya, but when you have so many matches, there will be changes. Even Rishabh Pant has captained, KL Rahul has captained,” he added.

Nehra was also pleased to see Shubman Gill being given the role of vice-captain in both T20Is and ODIs, but the former India pacer also admitted that the batter is still a ‘work in progress’ as a leader.

“They have made Shubman Gill in not just one format, but in all three formats. That means you are looking ahead.

“Shubman Gill is a work in progress. He is 24-25 years old now. He will get better as we go ahead. He has the desire to play all 3 formats, he has the heart to learn. He is not someone who thinks that whatever he is doing is right. He is not that kind of guy. Be it a youngster or an experienced player, he likes to have a discussion and learn,” he said.

While Team India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to get into intricate details of his relationship with superstar batter Virat Kohli, former India pacer Ashish Nehra has shed some light on their rapport. Gambhir and Kohli have been at the center of many on-field tussles, with the most recent coming in the Indian Premier League 2023 season. Both the cricketing icons are similar in terms of their approach towards the game, wearing their passion on the sleeve, and always ready to give their for the team. But, not many conflicts are expected as the two fight for the same team now.

Nehra played down Gambhir and Virat’s on-field clashes, saying there are many cricketers who have had such conflicts on the field. In the dressing room, however, Nehra said that they remain as united as anyone.

“Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are two very passionate individuals. Whenever they play for a team, they can turn up against the opposition. But, when they are together in a dressing room, they are together, united for the team. You’re talking about Virat Kohli, who has an experience of over 16-17 years, Gautam Gambhir is also experienced. The things on the outside, people get an impression about it. It’s not just Gambhir and Kohli, there are so many players who have had on-field spats in the past, but when they play together for a team, they have done well as a player, as a coach-captain, as a coach and senior player,” said Nehra, as per India Today. 

Gambhir, who takes over the India head coach job from Rahul Dravid, has quite a dissimilar personality in comparison to the man he is replacing. Despite the drastic shift, Nehra isn’t expected Kohli and Gambhir to have problems in the team.

“Gautam Gambhir is upfront, transparent which is great. He keeps it clear and speaks his mind. That’s very important. Yes, I agree, everybody has their own style (of coaching), to operate with the coach, captain and player. I don’t see any problem with these two and where they are in their careers,” said Nehra.

Shubman Gill (L) and Ashish Nehra© X (formerly Twitter)