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Ashish Nehra sheds light on Gujarat Titans reaction to Hardik Pandya going back to Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya shocked the world when they reached an agreement on the 26th of November. The five-time IPL winners paid Gujarat Titans INR 15 Crores to bring back their former star player.
Once the move was confirmed there were lots of speculations mostly directed towards the player. Current Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra has finally thrown some light on what transpired behind the scenes.
It was the Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya combined that had won the IPL for the Titans during their debut season in 2022. The team came close to winning two on the trot only to lose to CSK in the 2023 IPL finals.
“It didn’t surprise us” Ashish Nehra’s massive statement on Hardik Pandya –
Current coach of Gujarat Titans, Ashish Nehra spoke to Jio Cinema at the end of the IPL 2024 Auction. The question veered towards Hardik Pandya jumping ship to Mumbai Indians. The former India star was also asked how he felt about the entire situation.
Responding to this Nehra said “Hardik Pandya has not gone back to a team that has caused a huge surprise. He played for that team for so many years, he showed his desire to go back there. Our management’s nature is such that, we think if a player wants to go there, right. He should be happy and that’s why he has gone there again. Replacing someone like Hardik Pandya is difficult, but we tried our best”
Speaking about the squad the GT Coach said “ Having the size of 25 members is a luxury. We got a great all-rounder Omarzai, we also got Shah Rukh Khan. But it will be difficult to make up for somebody like Hardik who has that much talent and that much experience. It is what it is. With the resources we have, we will try to do our best”
The former left-arm-pacer also spoke highly of his former skipper. “I don’t think you can find a replacement for someone like Hardik Pandya that easily. Here you talking about all-rounder, Shah Rukh Khan is a pure batter. We wanted one more batter to back up. You have to remember the IPL has a squad of 25. You have the option to look for backups”