GT vs PBKS IPL 2024: Case of the missing coach

Ashish Nehra in GT vs PBKS in IPL 2024

As the Punjab Kings edged out the Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets on Thursday, the viewers sorely missed the antics of the GT head coach Ashish Nehra. Although the former Indian pacer was very much active, passing instructions as the game went to the last over, he remained strangely missing from the Live broadcast.

Cricket viewers have gotten used to Ashish Nehra’s football style coaching, that has drawn a lot of attention of late because of the success enjoyed by Gujarat Titans with him helming their affairs. When the Gujarat Titans were formed in 2022, the Titans’ management saw Nehra’s potential in his unconventional approach and decided to take a chance, hitting the jackpot, champions in 2022 and Runners up 2023. Nehra brought a fresh perspective to the team’s bowling, and his bag of tricks have left fans both amused and impressed.

Nehra’s coaching style is unconventional, from pep talks holding a banana to moonwalk warm-ups to singing sessions to duck waddling the GT bowling attack has flourished under his guidance. No wonder that Gujarat Titan’s most successful bowler this season Mohit Sharma labelled him as the ‘real Gunda of the team’!

Nehra with his antics make for good TV like reel posted by Gujarat Titans on Instagram where the Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar can be seen singing ‘PAGG’ a Punjabi song gleefully joined in by GT coach Ashish Nehra who shows his own son, who is also present, how to do a bhangra style thigh slap. The reel has done over a million views but the 22 crore fans who watched the IPL match Live did not get a dekho of Nehra doing anything unusual.

So, the question is why Ashish Nehra was not visible during the GT versus PBKS match at Ahmedabad? Was it just a coincidence or were the cameramen told to not focus on his antiques because what he does is just not cricket?