Published 22:51 IST, May 28th 2020
Gary Kirsten recollects tenure with Team India, has his say on MS Dhoni's retirement
India's World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten recently recollected his tenure with the Indian team and termed it as one of his most 'cherished' memories
India's World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten recently recollected his tenure with the Indian team and termed it as one of the most 'cherished' memories of his career. The South African also remarked that it was his 'privilege' to coach Team India and also revealed the easiest Indian player to work with. Kirsten coached the Indian team from 2008 to 2011.
'Kohli is one of the greatest players now'
Speaking to a leading news daily on Friday, Gary Kirsten stated that Sachin Tendulkar was easy to work with because has a strong value system as a person. The former Indian coach also recollected that current Indian skipper Virat Kohli was 'potentially' a great player back in 2011 and he is one of the greatest now.
He added that he had a fantastic journey with the players and has some fond memories of the World Cup in 2011. Recalling the World Cup victory, Kirsten highlighted that there were a lot of expectations from the players to win the World Cup and they handled it 'incredibly well.'
Speaking about former Indian skipper MS Dhoni and his prospects of retirement, Kirsten remarked that the Ranchi-lad has earned the right to leave the game on his 'own terms' and no one should dictate to him when that time is. He also reckoned that Dhoni is a match-winner and amongst the greatest sportsmen in the modern era.
The former Indian skipper has been on a sabbatical ever since India's semi-final loss to New Zealand in the 2019 ICC World Cup. With the IPL being postponed indefinitely, experts have predicted that the chances of Dhoni's return are bleak.
Updated 22:51 IST, May 28th 2020