IPL 2024: Coach Ashish Nehra Reveals Why Gujarat Titans Didn't Pressure Hardik Pandya To Stay
Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra clarified on Saturday that he didn't try to discourage Hardik Pandya from returning to the Mumbai Indians. He acknowledged the team's significant loss of the star all-rounder's experience for the upcoming IPL season, which starts on March 22.
In any sport, you have to move on: Nehra??
"Pandya, who led GT to IPL title in their maiden year before taking them to the final last year, has moved back to Mumbai Indians as their skipper for the upcoming season," Nehra explained.
"In any sport, you have to move on. You cannot buy experience and to replace someone like Hardik Pandya or (an injured) Mohammed Shami isn't going to be easy. But that's a learning curve and that's how the team moves forward," Nehra told mediapersons.
Pandya-Nehra duo was a winning combination??
The Pandya-Nehra combination had been highly successful for GT in their initial two seasons, prompting questions about whether Nehra tried to prevent the skipper from rejoining Mumbai Indians.
"I never tried to convince Pandya to stay back. As you play more, you gain experience. I could have stopped him had he gone to any other franchise. He (Pandya) played here for two years but he has gone to a team (MI), where he has played previously for 5-6 years," Nehra admitted.
Nehra: IPL transfer dynamics to be like European club football??
Nehra believes that the transfer dynamics hint at a future for the IPL resembling that of European club football.
"The manner in which the sport (cricket) is moving, we will have trades and transfers like we see in international soccer. It's a new challenge for him and maybe he will learn something new and we wish him the best."
When asked about Shubman Gill's promotion to captain and managing a team with several senior players, Nehra stated, "As a new captain, I want to see how he (Gill) operates and not just me, the whole India would like to see because he is that kind of a player."
(With inputs from PTI)
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