After Gautam Gambhir's appointment, Ashish Nehra reveals why he didn't apply for Team India's head coach role

Ashish Nehra is head coach of IPL franchise Gujarat Titans since 2022.

Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach and former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra has revealed why he didn’t want to become the next Indian cricket team head coach.

Earlier this month, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of INdia’s senior men’s cricket team. Gambhir took the responsibility from Rahul Dravid. Gambhir will be with the Men in Blue until the end of ICC ODI World Cup 2027.

Before Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach, many reports suggested that Ashish Nehra might take the reins from Rahul Dravid. Reacting to all the rumors, Nehra expressed that he was not in a mood to travel for nine months. Nehra stated that he was interested in the role, but he has different priorities.

“I have not thought about that. My kids are young. Yes, GG’s kids are also young, But everybody has different thoughts. I am very happy where I am. I am not in the mood to travel for nine months,” Nehra told Sports Tak in an interview as he cleared the air around the coaching speculation.

Nehra opens up on Gambhir’s coaching

Nehra has enjoyed success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the head coach of GT. He has been associated with the team since 2022. Under Nehra, GT won the IPL 2022 and also reached the finals of the 2023 edition. However, the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs in the IPL 2024 season.

The former Indian pacer Nehra admitted that coaching an IPL team would be very different from coaching a national side. However, he backed Gambhir to fulfill his responsibility as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team.

“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. 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.

Gambhir was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders, which lifted the IPL 2024 trophy. Previously, Gambhir was associated with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the IPLas a mentor. LSG made it to the playoffs in both IPL seasons when Gambhir was their mentor.

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