Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra opened up about why he did not apply for the head coach position.
The Indian cricket team has formally appointed Gautam Gambhir as its head coach, replacing Rahul Dravid. Even though some of the prominent candidates in the running were Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Mahela Jayawardene, and Stephen Fleming, the BCCI opted for an Indian candidate. However, Gambhir’s name was not the only Indian name floating on the internet. Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra’s name also did rounds on the internet but recently, Nehra ji revealed why he did not apply for the position.
Speaking to Sports Today, Ashish Nehra explained, "I am not in the mood to travel for nine months. I never thought about it. My children are still young. Gautam Gambhir also has young children, but everyone has different ideas. That's why I am happy where I am. I am not in the mood to travel for nine months."
Having left international cricket behind, Nehra now believes in spending time with his family and while opinions may differ, every cricketer has the right to choose their family over duties if they wish to. Nehra is not the first cricketer or ex-cricketer to do so. In the following paragraphs, let us look at other famous Indian cricketers who chose family over cricket.
T20 World Cup star bowler Jasprit Bumrah and his wife, Sanjana Ganesan, welcomed their first baby boy and named him Angad in September 2023. Bumrah had left the Asia Cup 2023 ahead of India's Group A match against Nepal for "personal reasons," which turned out to be for the birth of his son. Bumrah posted the merry news on Instagram with a sweet picture of the three holding hands.
center>
Current Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma missed the fourth and final Test against Australia in 2018. He returned to India and joined his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, after the birth of their first child, a baby girl named Samaira. Rohit was part of the Indian contingent touring Australia for the third Test. He played a vital 63 without getting out in the first innings. This was part of India's historic 137-run win that sealed an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
center>
The decision of one of India's cricketing stars, Virat Kohli, to fly back home in January 2021 to be with his wife garnered mixed reactions. Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma who is married to Kohli, gave birth to their first child, Vamika. Kohli, who had been on the road since IPL 2020 in the UAE, took paternity leave after the first Test against Australia in Adelaide and missed the last three games of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
center>
Kohli and his wife, Anushka Sharma, only recently announced that they became the parents of their second child, a baby boy named Akaay, on February 20, 2024. Addressing the media ahead of India vs. England test series, Kohli explained clearly why he decided to go out of his way and take paternity leave for two months to be with his family during such important life events.
