The position of head coach is very important to a team’s success in International cricket–and the Indian team requires a new strategy and tactics in guiding the Indian team for success in International cricket and ICC events. With enormous talent in the country, the Men in Blue have failed to win a single ICC trophy in the last decade or so. The last ICC trophy victory came in the 2013 Champions Trophy under the leadership of legendary MS Dhoni.
With high expectations from the fans, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma could not replicate the success, as the team failed to go past the super four stages in Asia Cup 2022 following a semifinal defeat in the 2022 T20 World Cup and a humiliating defeat against Australia in World Test Championship final in Kennington, Oval.
With many Cricket experts and fans believe that a coach like Ashish Nehra should take over the mantle of the coach from Rahul Dravid. Here are five reasons Why Ashish Nehra will never accept India’s head coach Position.
1. Pressure Of Expectations To Win the ICC Trophy
With Rahul Dravid’s tenure likely to end after the ODI World Cup 2023, If the results did not go in the favour of the Indian team in the marquee event, the Indian selectors would look to bring in some few faces in the Indian coaching setup.
The incoming coach will be under tremendous pressure to guide their side to an elusive ICC trophy win after a decade. India has advanced to the ODI World Cup semifinals in 2015, the T20 World Cup final in 2016, the ODI World Cup final in 2019, 2021, and 2023 WTC Final as they could not go one step further in the big tournaments as the team fell short of the title.
2. Increasing Franchise Leagues Around The World
3. Building The Team From Scratch
Ashish Nehra would require to build a new Indian team from scratch in all three formats of the game, as many Indian players are on the wrong side of their 30s. Most of the Indian ace players are expected to hang up their boots following the conclusion of the ODI World Cup 2023.
The transition phase of Indian cricket would be difficult for any coach, as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Cheteshwar Pujara would be playing a maximum of two to three years of International cricket and their fitness workload management will be a crucial factor for the next Indian head coach.
4. Ashish Nehra Coaching Contrast To Indian Approach Over The Years.
India team has been a predominant batting team in the world of cricket, as they produced some world-class batters with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. The Ace batters have been the face of Indian cricket despite having some legendary bowlers like Anil Kumble, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah in the team.
Meanwhile, Ashish Nehra is more of a bowling head coach, as he builds his team based on the bowlers. For Example, Gujarat Titans had one of the best bowling units in the Indian Premier League in the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, and Rashid Khan finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the cash-rich league and his bowling philosophy in the Indian Cricket may not be welcomed by the batters in the Indian team.
5. Ashish Nehra Would Like To Spend More Time With His Family
Coaching high profile team like the Indian team would be a tiring process for any individual, as the team would play cricket for all 12 months. Even during the Indian Premier League, the Indian coach needs to have an eye on the league and work on tactics with his support staff going into International Cricket as they would get much less time to spend with their family.
Many believe that Ashish Nehra is the perfect family man, who used to spend time with them. Nehra’s career has been plagued with successive back and ankle injuries during his playing day where his family stood by him during his difficult times and it would be tough for him to take the role of Indian head coach in the future.