Hardik Pandya: "I never tried to convince Hardik Pandya to stay back"

Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra has stated that he never tried convincing the franchise's former IPL-winning skipper Hardik Pandya to stay back when the player wanted a move away from the team.

Hardik had a successful two-year stint with the Gujarat Titans, guiding the IPL new entrants to the title in his first-ever season as a captain in 2022 followed by a runner-up finish last year.

The 30-year-old's return to the Mumbai Indians ahead of this season has been the major talking point in the cricketing fraternity and the Titans' bossman has opened up about it to the Press Trust of India (PTI), saying:

"I never tried to convince Hardik Pandya to stay back. I could have stopped him had he been going to some other team. [But] he played for that team for five or six years.

"And the way this game has been going along, people say that it is heading in the direction of soccer or basketball. So we will end up seeing those trades [in cricket too]. Yes, GT will miss Hardik Pandya. Best wishes [to him] from our side."

"We are really excited to help Shubman Gill grow as a person more than as a captain" - Ashish Nehra

Shubman Gill finished IPL 2023 as the season's highest run-getter, having amassed 890 runs in 17 matches. He has also replaced Hardik Pandya as the new captain of Gujarat Titans ahead of this edition of the IPL.

At just 24, it will be a brand new IPL journey not just for the prolific batter but also for the franchise under his leadership.

Touching on how excited he is to witness Shubman Gill - the skipper, former Indian international Ashish Nehra asserted that the whole franchise is ready to assist Gill in his new role. The 44-year-old said:

"I am very excited to see how Gill operates. In fact, the whole of India, not only me. He is that kind of player. He is someone who is looking to play and looking to do well in all three formats.

"So we as a franchise, as a support staff, are really excited to help him grow as a person more than as a captain. If he grows as a person, then he will definitely be a better captain going forward. And you know, Hardik also did not captain anywhere before he captained GT."

Apart from Hardik Pandya, the Titans will also be missing the services of Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been ruled out of this year's IPL due to a heel injury.

Shami was the highest wicket-taker of the 2023 IPL with 28 scalps to his name in the 17 matches. Given his immense experience and credentials with the ball, Shami's absence will be a major blow to the Titans' pace attack.

Speaking about the impact this might have on the team, Ashish Nehra added:

"You can't buy experience to replace Hardik, Shami, it's not going to be easy. But there's the learning curve. Every year, new guys come and they step in and that's how teams move forward.

"You are talking about Hardik Pandya and Shami - to fill those shoes is not easy. But like I said, we have enough people, Umesh Yadav, again a guy who has been playing IPL [for] 10-12 years. So every year, you will see new guys and you have to believe in yourself and prepare for that."

Gujarat Titans will begin their 2024 IPL campaign at home against Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians on Sunday, March 24 at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.