In a series of surprising moments, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has named Ashish Nehra as the sharpest cricketing mind he has worked with. While doing so, Moeen placed the former India pacer ahead of several iconic tacticians, including former India skipper MS Dhoni.
Moeen Ali makes surprising pick
Having played under MS Dhoni's leadership at Chennai Super Kings and worked with some best coaches in his career. Moeen Ali picked Ashish Nehra, as his cricketing awareness stood apart from everyone.
While backing his choice, Ali tried to give some strong points as he remembered his stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL, where Ashish Nehra served as the head coach. Moeen Ali recalled that Nehra used to have everything prepared and had instant backup plans in the time of crises based on his own experiences.
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Notably, Moeen revealed that the former India speedster knows how to get everyone from the team on the same page and has great man management skills.
"So the name I am going to give is Ashish Nehra. He is the coach of Gujarat. I had him at RCB for a couple of years. When it comes to cricket brain, this guy knows what he's talking about. Knows how to get a team environment going, knows how to deal with people, players and coaches. Amazing, amazing cricket brain."
Ashish Nehra's coaching resume
After stepping away from international cricket, Ashish Nehra has established himself as one of the best coaches in IPL. While his first stint with RCB turned out to be a disastrous one, his coaching career took a positive turn after he joined Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of their debut season in 2022.
Nehra created an instant impact at GT by leading the franchise to the IPL trophy in its inaugural season, a feat that also saw him become the first Indian coach to win the title. Since then, the Titans have established themselves as one of the league's best sides under Nehra's coaching, reaching the playoffs in four of the five seasons.