It would be an honor to coach India but I have no ambitions: Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra has no ambitions to become India’s head coach, but the former India pacer admitted that he would consider the role a “great honor and privilege” if the opportunity ever arose.
Nehra, currently the head coach of Gujarat Titans, was asked about his coaching ambitions while speaking at the Cricket Association of Bengal’s annual awards ceremony in Kolkata on Monday.
The 46-year-old has made it clear that he is not planning his career around future roles and is happy with his current position in GT.
“First of all, I will not use the word ambition. I never plan. Yes, it will be a great honor and privilege, but I never plan such things. We will see in the future. No, no ambition. I am very happy where I am,” said Nehra.
Nehra has already established himself as one of the successful coaches in the IPL. He led Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season in 2022 and took them to another final a year later.
However, Nehra consistently played down the idea of individual credit in a team sport. He said that GT’s success should not be attributed to him or any individual player.
“As far as GT is concerned, a lot of people say you have done well in coaching. It’s not me, it’s about the team. Yes, when your captain, when your coach is always linked, that’s how it goes, especially in India, but I’m dead against it.”
“When it comes to a team sport, it shouldn’t be Shubman Gill or Nehra winning, but it should be GT winning.
Nehra also joked about the amount of travel involved in working in India and said that if he was offered the position, he would have to consult his wife first.
“If I get an offer, I’ll check with my wife first because that’s eight to nine months away,” he said.
The former left-arm pacer also looked back on India’s defeat of Australia in the 2003 ODI World Cup final played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. Nehra was part of India’s campaign but said he had no regrets about the loss.
“Not at all. What’s gone is gone. It’s always good learning. It wasn’t the only final I’ve played and we’ve lost. I’ve played some other finals and we’ve lost. Every time you don’t win, yes, as a player you’re always gutted when you look back, but it’s not just me.”
“I’m sure there are so many players in international cricket who have lost more finals than the finals we’ve discussed.
Nehra also drew a parallel with India’s loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Australia won that match by six wickets after India were bowled out for 240.
“We played well throughout the tournament, in 2023 at the 2023 U50 World Cup in India, our team was no different and we lost in Ahmedabad right in the final.
“We were actually more dominant than we were in 2003, but that’s part and parcel of the game. I never look back and I’m not someone who has too many regrets. I always look forward.”
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
07 Sep 2026 22:18 IST