As the Gujarat Titans prepare to play Sunrisers Hyderabad in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, head coach Ashish Nehra offered a glimpse into his coaching philosophy and attitude while urging skipper Shubman Gill to lead the team.
In his first season in the lucrative league in 2022, Nehra guided the Titans to the trophy by pulling the strings behind the scenes with his cool-headedness. He carried on in his leadership position the next season, setting the stage for GT to go to the championship game and ultimately lose to the Chennai Super Kings.
Nehra and GT would have won two IPL championships in their first two seasons if it weren’t for Ravindra Jadeja showing off his ability to hit boundaries and smashing the ball for 10 runs in the last two balls.
Nehra lets his players be themselves as he enters his fourth year as GT’s head coach. According to Nehra, providing players with the much-needed steadiness is the key to success in a long-format, fast-paced event.
“I don’t simply see things from a coach’s point of view. Even if I were a player in the competitive IPL, a protracted yet fast-paced competition, I would still say that consistency is the most important factor for players. I feel that way. Since no one is criticizing them here, my strategy is to just leave them alone. He said on JioHotstar’s exclusive program “Aava De” that they must first settle down, particularly when they join a new brand.
“Due to the nature of the sport, you may keep four or five players and perhaps get one or two important additions during the auction. As a result, 40–50% of the team is new every three years. That implies that, similar to the current circumstance, you will need to work extra hard to rebuild the team. The bio-bubble is no longer present. It would have been simpler if there had been one,” he said.
After each auction, a fresh group of players joins the team; therefore, Nehra has the difficulty of getting to know them and building rapport in a short amount of time. He usually keeps things straightforward, takes care of the fundamentals, and makes sure players are clear both on and off the field.
“The difficulty is in figuring out how to spend time and establish rapport with new players in a week. Clarity is key, both on and off the field. Only the fundamentals. It’s not that complicated, in my opinion. I usually advise keeping things simple. ” It’s a very simple task—but perhaps simplicity isn’t always that simple,” he said.
Nehra remained with GT as the team entered its third season, but Hardik Pandya left to rejoin the Mumbai Indians, leaving the team without a captain. As the new face of the brand, GT made the decision to invest in Gill. GT fell outside of the top four in his first season, taking eighth place with 12 points, the third-lowest of any team.
Nehra thinks that if Gill can stay grounded and adapt to the demands of the game throughout the current season, then the young opener’s options are endless.
“I’ve spoken to Shubman Gill a lot over the last year, and I think that people learn best from their own experiences. As a result, things will only grow better this year.
Once again, outcomes aren’t the only thing that matters to me. As a person, as a captain, and as someone who will lead this squad, Shubman Gill is someone I’m considering. The possibilities are endless for a player like Shubman, who has been with the same club for three or four years, if he maintains his composure, keeps learning from the game, and keeps improving—all of which are traits that come naturally to him. “This is my belief,” he said.
