After clouds of uncertainty, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the contract extension of head coach Rahul Dravid along with his support staff on Wednesday (Thursday). Notably, Dravid's tenure as the head coach of the side had concluded with the ODI World Cup 2023. While it is widely being reported that Ashish Nehra was offered the role of being India's T20I coach, ultimately Dravid's contract was extended and he remains the head coach across formats for Team India.
And now a report carried by PTI has revealed the reason behind Nehra's decision to decline the offer from the Indian cricket board. It is being learnt that the ex-India pacer wanted to honour the contract with Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) where he is set to be the head coach till 2025. Moreover, Nehra wants to devote more time to a young family doesn't want to be on the road for the majority of the year to meet the demands of a hectic international schedule.
Ashish Nehra Keen On Exploring White-Ball Coach Opportunity In Future
Thus, even for a healthy work-life balance, the two and a half months of IPL coaching perfectly aligns with Nehra's personal aspirations and priorities. Nehra was at the helm of coaching affairs when Gujarat Titans (GT) won the IPL in 2022 and when they failed to cross the final barrier in 2023. Nehra though is keen on exploring such an opportunity in the future.
Meanwhile, in a blow to Gujarat Titans (GT), their captain Hardik Pandya expressed his desire to reunite with his former franchise and had to be traded to Mumbai Indians (MI). After the trade, GT announced Shubman Gill as their new skipper.
"We all know captainship comes with a lot of things, and commitment is one of them. Discipline is one of them. Hard work is one of them. Loyalty is one of them," said Gill in a video posted by the franchise on social media.
(With Inputs From PTI)