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NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill wants his fast bowlers to perform with the same intensity and aggression that former India pacer Ashish Nehra displayed during his playing days, ahead of the IPL 2026 season. Known for his fiery pace and on-field passion, Nehra never held back – often shouting, and at times even cussing, if there were misfields or dropped catches.Now the head coach of Gujarat Titans, Nehra’s old bowling clips remain a fan favourite. His aggression and loud instructions, which kept fielders on their toes, are still widely enjoyed.
In fact, one of the well-known clips shows Nehra shouting at MS Dhoni.Dhoni faced Nehra’s wrath during an ODI against arch-rivals Pakistan national cricket team in 2005. Nehra, bowling to Shahid Afridi, induced an edge, but Dhoni failed to take the catch behind the stumps. The pacer was visibly furious and lost his temper.During an interaction with host and TV personality Mandira Bedi, Gill said he wants Nehra-like aggression from his pace attack in IPL 2026.Gujarat Titans’ pace arsenal for the season includes Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Luke Wood, Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma and Jason Holder.“I do not want my fast bowlers to be calm. I want them to be fierce just like Ashu Pa was. I’m sure you must have seen videos of how Ashu Pa acknowledged dropped catches when he was playing,” Gill said.Prasidh was the Purple Cap holder in IPL 2025 with 25 wickets in 19 matches.Gujarat Titans won their maiden IPL title in 2022 under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy.Last season, Gujarat Titans reached the Eliminator but lost to Mumbai Indians by 20 runs. Gill, however, is confident of a turnaround this time.“Even last year, we had a very successful season. We did not win the trophy, but that does not take away from the brand of cricket we played. We are now here to rectify the mistakes we made last season. We did fall short in some of the things,” he added.
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