Nehra: 'Hardik, Shami are big shoes to fill'

Ashish Nehra

Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra admitted that they will miss Hardik Pandya in the 17th edition of the IPL, starting on March 22 in Chennai.

"Surely, GT will miss Hardik, but we have to move on," Nehra said at a pre-season press meet here on Saturday. He wished the Baroda-based all-rounder good luck with the Mumbai Indians.

Pandya was swapped for cash by the Titans to MI after he led Gujarat for two seasons, winning the title on the team's debut before losing to Chennai Super Kings in the final last year.

"Yes, you can't buy experience, but talking about Hardik and [Mohammed] Shami, what they have done in the last two years… to fill those shoes won't be easy."

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Nehra, however, insisted that the Titans had enough players to fall back on, like veteran seamer Umesh Yadav, who is expected to spearhead the attack in the absence of Shami, who is ruled out for the entire season.

"Every year, new guys come and step up and that is how the team move forward. And in the IPL, every team has the luxury of 25 players," he added.