New Delhi: Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill hopes his fast bowlers can display the same intensity and aggression that former India pacer Ashish Nehra displayed during the tournament. Nehra was known for his fiery pace and passion on the field, and he never backed down – often yelling and sometimes even swearing if there was a turnover or missed catch.
Now as the head coach of the Gujarat Titans, Nehra’s old bowling clips remain a fan favorite. His aggressiveness and loud calls kept outfielders on their toes and remains widely beloved today.
In fact, one of the famous clips shows Nehra shouting at MS Dhoni.
In 2005, Dhoni faced Nehra’s wrath during an ODI match against his arch-rivals Pakistan National Cricket Team. Nehra bowled to Shahid Afridi to spark the advantage but Dhoni failed to catch the ball behind the stumps. The Pacer was visibly angry and throwing a tantrum.
In an interaction with host and television personality Mandira Bedi, Gill said that he hopes his pace attack can be as aggressive as Nehra’s in IPL 2026.
Gujarat Titans’ pace squad this season includes Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Luke Wood, Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma and Jason Holder.
“I don’t want my fast bowlers to be clinical. I want them to be as ferocious as Ashuppa. I’m sure you must have seen the video of how Ashupa conceded a failed catch when he was playing,” Gill said.
Prasidh is the purple cap defender of IPL 2025, taking 25 wickets in 19 games.
In 2022, Gujarat Titans won the IPL title for the first time under the leadership of Hardik Pandya.
Last season, Gujarat Titans reached the knockout stage but lost to Mumbai Indians by 20 runs. However, Gill is confident of turning things around this time.
“Even last year, we had a very successful season. We didn’t win a trophy but that didn’t affect the brand of cricket we played. We are here now to correct the mistakes we made last season. We did fall short in certain areas,” he added.
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