Under Nehra’s guidance, Gujarat Titans have reached the IPL playoffs in four of their five seasons.
Former India pacer Ashish Nehra’s CV as an IPL coach is getting better day by day. Since taking over as head coach before the inaugural 2022 season, Nehra has built the Gujarat Titans (GT) into one of the most consistent franchises.
Under his tactical guidance, GT have reached the playoffs in four of their five seasons, including a title win in 2022 and runners-up finish in 2023 and 2026.
Following their successful 2026 campaign, several experts and former cricketers, including Sanjay Manjrekar, publicly endorsed Nehra for the position of India's next men's T20I head coach.
While Nehra has no active ambition to become the head coach of the national cricket team, he would consider the role a "great honour and privilege" if it ever materialises in the future.
Speaking at the Cricket Association of Bengal's annual awards ceremony in Kolkata, the 46-year-old emphasized his philosophy of not planning his career around future roles, expressing complete satisfaction with his current position in the IPL.
"First thing first, I will not use the word ambition. I never plan. Yes, it will be a great honour and a privilege, but I never plan things like that. We'll see in the future. No, no ambition. I'm very happy where I am," Nehra said.
Nehra believes team success comes from everyone working together rather than any single person.
"When it comes to GT, lots of people say like you have done well in coaching. It's not me; it's about the team. Yes, when your captain, when your coach is always associated, that's the way it goes, especially in India, but I'm dead against it.
"When it comes to team sport, it should not be like Shubman Gill won, or Nehra won, but it should be GT won," he added.
Nehra also joked that he would need to consult his wife before taking the India head coach job because it demands extensive travelling each year.
"If I get an offer, I will check with my wife first because it is eight to nine months of travel," he remarked.
Reflecting on India's defeat to Australia in the 2003 ODI World Cup final at Johannesburg, Nehra said he has no regrets about the loss.
"Not really. What's gone is gone. It's always a good learning. It was not the only final I played, and we lost. I played some other finals also, and we lost. Every time you don't win, yes, as a player, you are always gutted when you look back, but it's not only me.
"There are so many players, I am sure, in international cricket, who have lost more finals than the final we were discussing."
Nehra also compared it with India's loss to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"The whole tournament, we were playing well, in the 2023 50-over World Cup in India, our team was no different, and exactly the final we lost in Ahmedabad.
"In fact, we were more dominating than we were in 2003, but that's part and parcel of the game. I never look back, and I'm not somebody who regrets too much. I always look forward."