"Didn't try to convince him": GT coach Nehra makes honest admission on Hardik Pandya's departure

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra admitted that he didn't try to convince former skipper Hardik Pandya to stay with the franchise and he could have stopped him if he had opted to go to any other franchise.
In November last year, Pandya left the fans stunned after making a move from GT to his former franchise Mumbai Indians as part of a trade.
Shubman Gill was named as Pandya's successor ahead of the new season. Nehra opened up about Pandya's departure and admitted that the franchise will miss him.
"I didn't try to convince him a lot. That is because as you play more, the more experience you gain - like he came here and played for two years. Even so, he has gone to such a team that I could have stopped him had he been going to some other team. [But] he played for that team for five or six years," Nehra said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"And the way this game has been going along, people say that it is heading in the direction of soccer or basketball. So, we will end up seeing those trades [in cricket too]. Yes, GT will miss Hardik Pandya. But it is a new opportunity for him. Every year IPL teaches you something new, and this year too there will be something new to learn. Best wishes [to him] from our side," he added.
The star all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign in the cash-rich league with aplomb. In GT's debut season in 2022, Hardik got them off to a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy.
Earlier this week, Pandya joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp. The all-rounder is set to captain Mumbai Indians (MI), replacing their five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy-winning skipper Rohit Sharma in the 2024 season of the cash-rich league.
In the season opener, MI skipper Hardik will face GT in the season opener on March 24 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. (ANI)