New Delhi. Becoming the head coach of Team India is considered a great honor for any player or coach in the world of cricket, but for former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra, this responsibility does not seem so easy at the moment. When he was asked a question about the post of coach of Team India, he gave such an answer in his special witty style that the people present there laughed. Nehra said that if he had to take over the coaching of the Indian team, then first of all he would have to talk to the high commission of the house i.e. his wife, otherwise divorce could happen. However, his statement was made in a humorous manner and he cited the very busy life of international cricket as the main reason behind it.
Ashish Nehra has been counted among the possible contenders for the next head coach of Team India. The main reason for this is his excellent coaching record with Gujarat Titans in IPL. Nehra made Gujarat Titans the IPL champion in its very first season in 2022. After this, the team reached the finals in 2023 and 2026 also. This performance has further strengthened Nehra's identity as a coach.
During the annual awards ceremony of the Cricket Association of Bengal in Kolkata, Nehra was asked whether he would like to take over the responsibility of head coach of the Indian cricket team in future. Nehra made it clear that he is not making any plans regarding this post right now. According to him, coaching Team India would definitely be a matter of great honor and pride but at the moment he is happy in his role with Gujarat Titans and has not made this responsibility his ambition.
After this, the manner in which Nehra mentioned his wife made the entire statement funny. He said that if ever an offer for the post of coach of Team India comes, he will have to talk to his wife first. He himself told the reason for this. According to Nehra, the job of a coach in international cricket means continuous traveling and staying away from family for about eight to nine months of the year. According to him, this work is actually as challenging as it sounds.
Nehra also said that the constant travel pressure and work demands of coaching international cricket are so high that very few coaches are able to stay in the role for more than three or four years. This is the reason why he is not in favor of making any immediate decision or plan regarding this post.
Nehra also explained the difference between coaching in IPL and international cricket. According to him, the pressure is not less in IPL but the responsibility of managing the national team is of a completely different level. The coach of the national team is associated with the hopes of not just one franchise but the entire country. The pressure of constant touring matches, the responsibility for the players' performance and the criticism on every decision makes this role extremely difficult.
At present Nehra is happy with Gujarat Titans and he has not completely closed the door of the post of coach of Team India. He says that if such an opportunity arises in future, the decision will be taken considering the circumstances at that time. That is, Nehra has not refused to become a coach but at the moment his priority is that he is completely satisfied in his current role. His joke about his wife may have hit the headlines but the hidden truth behind it is clear that becoming the coach of Team India is not just a job of making cricket strategies but it is a responsibility that demands more time and sacrifice than personal life.