Moeen Ali Names Best Cricketing Brain. It's Former India Star But Not MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best cricketing brains, if not the individual best.
- Moeen Ali named Ashish Nehra as the best cricketing brain over MS Dhoni
- Nehra, a former India pacer, is Gujarat Titans head coach and led them to IPL 2022 title in their debut season
- Moeen praised Nehra’s deep understanding and evidence-based cricket strategies
MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best cricketing brains, if not the individual best. Be it handing the final over to Joginder Sharma and getting the desired output from him during the 2007 T20 World Cup final or effecting extremely smart run-outs and stumpings, there are numerous examples that prove why the former India captain is hailed as one of the best brains in the business. However, when former England all-rounder Moeen Ali had to pick one, he instead opted for former India player and now Gujarat Titans head coach, Ashish Nehra.
"For me, a cricketing brain is somebody who knows almost every situation of the game. Who's got an answer, or a theory, for every situation. Like, they just talk about all aspects. 'Why he's not that good, why he is good, what should happen in this situation, what could happen'," Moeen said on Beard Before Wicket.
Moeen, who played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru from the Indian Premier League 2018 to 2020, also had Nehra as the team's bowling coach and mentor for a couple of seasons.
"But he's got something. And behind that something, there's either data or evidence. Like, 'It's happened before, and this happened, and this is why this can happen.' So the name I am going to give is Ashish Nehra. He is the coach of Gujarat (Titans). I had him at RCB for a couple of years. When it comes to cricketing brain, he's somebody who 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," Moeen added.
Nehra, a former left-arm fast bowler, went on to play 120 ODIs for India, picking up 157 wickets. He also played 17 Tests and 27 T20Is, with 44 and 34 scalps, respectively.
Nehra was appointed as the head coach of Gujarat Titans for IPL 2022 and led the side to the title in its inaugural season. He continues to stay in the role for GT.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Moeen Ali
MS Dhoni
Ashish Nehra