Gary Kirsten reveals how he became the coach of Team India

Gary Kirsten is the most successful coach of Team India. Under his leadership, India became No.1 in the Test rankings in 2009. Later on, after two years in 2011 Indian won the ICC World Cup after 28 years under his leadership.

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Gary Kirsten explained how he became the coach of Team India in just 7 minutes despite being inexperienced in the field of coaching and during this he also told who played a key role in making him a coach.

Kirsten said in the ‘Cricket Collective’ podcast,

“I’ve got an email from Sunil Gavaskar – would I consider coaching the Indian team,” Kirsten said. “I thought it was a hoax. I never even answer it. He sent me another email, and said, ‘Will you come for an interview?’. I showed it to the wife, and she said, ‘They must have the wrong person’.

Kirsten said, “This is how I entered this area strangely, which was also right.” I mean to say that I had no experience of coaching. ”

Gary Kirsten and Anil Kumble laughed

Kirsten also said that Anil Kumble laughed at him when he came to India for an interview. He said,

“I went for the interview, it was a bizarre experience in many ways because I kind of arrived at the interview and I see Anil Kumble, who’s the current Indian captain, and he says, ‘What are you doing here?’. I said, ‘I have come for an interview to coach you!’. So we kinda laugh about it. It was quite a laughing matter,”

Gary Kirsten had no prior coaching experience. Kirsten added, “…I am in this board meeting with these BCCI officials, and it was quite an intimidating environment; the secretary of the board said, ‘Mr. Kirsten, would you like to present your vision for the future of Indian Cricket?’, and I said, ‘Well, I don’t have one.’ No one had asked me to prepare anything for it. I had just arrived there,” Kirsten said.