Sachin Tendulkar asked me to be his friend more than coach during my tenure: Gary Kirsten

Former South African captain Gary Kirsten began his four-year coaching term for Team India in 2008. While speaking on the TalkSports’ Following On Podcast, the 101-Test veteran recently recalled his association with Indian cricket and the kind of environment he created for the Indian team. Gary Kirsten also talked about his friendship with former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar and how the ‘Master Blaster’ struck a purple patch during his coaching stint.

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Gary Kirsten reveals how he helped Sachin Tendulkar

Gary Kirsten said that Sachin Tendulkar was contemplating retirement during the time when he first arrived to India for the job in late 2007. According to the South African, the batting icon was not enjoying his cricket because of being asked to bat lower down the order thanks to Greg Chappell and his coaching staff. Gary Kirsten further added that during his tenure, he sent Sachin Tendulkar to bat where he wanted and he ended up prolonging his career by scoring 18 centuries in three years.

Kirsten also admitted that when he first arrived, Sachin Tendulkar asked him to be his friend more than a coach. The former Indian coach said that he ended up having a great coaching journey with Tendulkar along with the rest of the team, which culminated in ‘Men in Blue’ lifting the 2011 World Cup at home. The former left-handed opening batsman also stated that while he did not tell anything to Sachin Tendulkar, he simply facilitated an environment for the entire team. According to Gary Kirsten, the essence of modern coaching is to facilitate “people’s ability to be the best version of themselves”.

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Gary Kirsten’s successful alliance with captain MS Dhoni

Gary Kirsten’s coaching tenure is widely considered to be one of the most successful phases for Indian cricket. Under his leadership, MS Dhoni was appointed as Test captain after the wicketkeeper-batsman took over the role from retiring Anil Kumble in 2008. Apart from lifting the 2011 World Cup, the captain-coach partnership between MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten also enjoyed a stay at the helm of ICC Test team rankings between 2009 and 2011.

Gary Kirsten credits Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar for coaching job

In another recent podcast for Cricket Collective, Gary Kirsten credited former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri for helping him get the high-profile Indian coaching job.

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Image credits: Sachin Tendulkar Twitter