Leg and off: Should Gujarat Titans move on from Ashish Nehra as head coach?
Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra's role as the Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach is seemingly hanging by a threat according to the latest reports from News18. Nehra has been part of the GT setup since their inception in 2022 with Vikram Solanki (Director of Cricket) and Gary Kirsten (Team Mentor).
With Kirsten already departing to take up the Pakistan head coaching job, Nehra and Solanki also might be on their way out in a major reshuffle. Nehra's former teammate Yuvraj Singh could be next in line to take over as the GT head coach from the 2025 IPL season.
News18 quotes sources close to these developments as saying:
"Lot of changes on the cards. Ashish Nehra and Vikram Solanki are highly likely to move on and discussions around Yuvraj Singh have already begun. Nothing is finalised right now but there could be some major changes in the coaching staff of the Gujarat Titans."
With several coaching and personnel changes in the franchises dominating the IPL off-season headline, GT moving on from Nehra has raised eyebrows in more ways than one.
On that note, let us deep dive into the different parameters to conclude if GT should move on from Ashish Nehra as their head coach.
Results emphatically favor Ashish Nehra to continue as GT head coach
How can one look past Ashish Nehra if results are the sole consideration for GT's head coaching role? The now-45-year-old took over from the day the franchise was added to the IPL in 2022.
With the side almost unanimously counted by fans and experts before the start of the 2022 season, Nehra produced the impossible with skipper Hardik Pandya. GT finished comfortably atop the points table and ran through the playoffs with a thumping win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the finale.
It was reminiscent of RR's triumph in the inaugural IPL edition, proving doubters wrong and going from underdogs to champions. The ride did not stop there as GT were hell-bent on proving to some of the remaining skeptics that the 2022 title run was no fluke.
They finished atop the points table for a second straight season in 2023 and were inches away from back-to-back titles. A miraculous finish by Ravindra Jadeja meant GT had to settle for a runners-up finish.
It was only this year's IPL that GT struggled for consistency and finished eighth in the ten-team race to miss the playoffs. However, some of that can be attributed to Hardik Pandya's departure, Mohammad Shami missing the entire season with injury, and Rashid Khan's lack of form.
Yet, Nehra holds the proud accolade of becoming the first Indian coach to lead a side to the IPL title in 2022. With a trophy in the franchise's maiden season and another final appearance, his three-year coaching run with GT has been an incredible success.
Continuing with Nehra might help newish skipper Shubman Gill
While GT endured their worst season last year under new skipper Shubman Gill, several things were stacked against them. They lost the ultimate trump card in the previous captain Hardik Pandya months before IPL 2024 and were without ace pacer Mohammad Shami for the entire campaign.
Even their primary match-winner with the ball, Rashid Khan wasn't at his usual best after just returning from injury. With all these setbacks, the Titans still won five out of their 12 completed games.
Gill even mentioned during the IPL 2024 season how Nehra was the biggest contributor to GT's success and legacy in the first two years.
"I think in that legacy that Gujarat Titans built, Ashish Nehra had more of a role to play," he said as quoted by Rediff.
How fair would it be on Gill, still new to the captaincy role, to recreate the relationship, strategies, and cohesion with a completely different coaching staff in only his second season?
A lack of consistency in the coach-captain dynamic has proved detrimental for several IPL franchises. To prevent such an occurrence, GT might be best served to build with the Nehra-Gill combination for the foreseeable future.
Mega Auction might warrant a new core even in the coaching setup
The mega auction for IPL 2025 could be the main and possibly the only reason behind GT looking for a coaching rejig.
While there is no clarity yet on the number of retentions, several players from the 2024 season may not be on the roster for the upcoming season after a poor outing this year.
With a new group of players being a realistic possibility, the management may look toward a fresh start even from the coaching standpoint. Mentor Gary Kirsten has already moved on to coaching Pakistan and the franchise might ponder over a complete overhaul to start with a clean slate in the next cycle.
Should that be the case, moving from Nehra to another Indian coach like the speculated Yuvraj Singh or even the T20 World Cup-winning Rahul Dravid could be on the cards.
In conclusion, the Gujarat Titans might be best served to continue with Ashish Nehra as their head coach, considering the team's past results under him. While Nehra's presence might also help Shubman Gill in only his second year as captain, the mega auction and the possibility of a new core could be the lone crucial reason behind Nehra's exit.