Gautam Gambhir is set to head back into the hot seat as the Indian side gets back to the international circuit after the IPL 2026 season. The 44-year-old was at the helm of affairs when the Men in Blue successfully defended their T20 World Cup crown. Gambhir will be the coach of the national side till the end of the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, during his chat with SportStar, said that Ashish Nehra could be a great choice as the next T20I coach. The former left-arm seamer coached the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title win in their debut. Former CSK pacer has also overseen the side reach two finals in 2023 and 2026, where they finished as runners-up.

Manjrekar said, “Nehra is a street-smart cricketer who doesn’t get too emotional about the sport and knows how to address the problems his team has. These kinds of coaches are very clinical. They are sharp readers of the game and don’t try to please others by playing safety-first cricket.”

The 60-year-old also added, “He (Nehra) doesn’t get bothered by success and is not the kind of person who loves getting the credit or attention. As a coach, Ashish puts in the hard work and is in love with it.”

Ashish Nehra as next T20 coach?

The Indian cricket team will be playing plenty of T20 cricket in the next few months, but their biggest assignments will be the 2028 Olympics and the T20 World Cup. By then, the current coach’s contract would have run out, leaving the BCCI to search for a new man at the helm of affairs. 

According to Sanjay Manjrekar, this is where the former Indian pacer comes into the equation. “If the Indian side is looking for a T20 coach, they wouldn’t have to look further, because they have someone who has given results and has an amazing record.”

Mumbai’s former skipper also added, “Ashish shouldn’t come in as the bowling coach, because as a head coach, he has done well with different captains, so in such a situation, only a head coach’s job should be offered.”