Gary Kirsten at Centurion

[jibranpatel15]

Kirsten out of his comfort zone Gary Kirsten's shoulder has played a major role in India's rise as a team during the almost three years that he has spent with them. He is supremely fit for a man his age, for someone who last played international cricket six-and-a-half years ago, fitter probably than some of his wards. No one has kept a count on the number of balls he throws down to the Indian batsmen in the nets, but here is an estimation guide: in every nets session he gives each batsman about 40 throwdowns. And there is at least one nets session before every international match to go with the training camps and pre-tour preparations where he goes absolutely berserk working at the batsmen's techniques. Just count the number of games India play, and the number of batsmen they have, and do the math. And these are not half-hearted throwdowns from the middle of the pitch. These come at full pace, from across the whole 22 yards. And he is no bowling machine. He adjusts according to batsmen's weaknesses, the conditions and the opposition bowlers' strengths. He scuffs up the balls to swing them at times, and sometimes he uses soft balls and serves them with a tennis racquet to either get prodigious swing or the disconcerting bounce. After almost every shot he gives the batsmen feedback on their position, their bat swing, their feet movement. He puts an arm around Gautam Gambhir's shoulder and talks, he keeps joking with Virender Sehwag, and he has long earnest discussions with Sachin Tendulkar, who incidentally is the biggest fan of Kirsten's throwdowns and always keeps asking for more. When somebody plays a good shot, he shouts "shot" followed by the batsman's full name; when somebody doesn't he comes up close and tries to understand why he might not be playing good shots. On one of the most important tours his team is on, one that he says could be the "defining moment", he has been pulled out of his comfort zone. His comfort zone has been to stay away from the limelight, to let his team express itself, and in the process give him expression. His comfort zone has been to try and put the team in a happy place, to allow it to make optimum use of the talent he knows it has. Suddenly, though, with his being a South African, everybody is talking of the effect Kirsten's knowledge of the local conditions and the psyche of the South African players might have on the outcome of the series. There was also a small matter of having convinced the BCCI to do something unprecedented, to make them pull out many of the star players from a home ODI series, a big commercial draw, and send them to South Africa early so they could get acclimatised with the conditions, so they could get into a happy place. Down here in South Africa he has had the team train at his academy for about a week. For a change Kirsten is drawing all the attention. Out of his comfort zone, Kirsten has shortened the lengths of his throwdowns, and is also running in a bit so that the balls are coming quicker at the batsmen. And he is getting them to bounce head high on the practice pitches at the Supersport Park in Centurion, where two days of drizzle and cold weather finally gave way to a sunny Monday afternoon and a three-hour-long workout for the team. There is a lot of precision involved: the difference between the lengths of deliveries that Suresh Raina should sway away from and the ones he should duck under is less than a foot. And Kirsten keeps hitting those lengths. Raina sways out of the line of most, staying outside their line, and ducks under a few. Suddenly a full one arrives without warning, and Raina's weight is not back and he drives handsomely. "Shot Suresh Raina." When Tendulkar gets to face Kirsten, he requests for more even when his time is over and he is supposed to switch to the other net. Kirsten will be happy he has been shouting out full names often today. Especially Sehwag's. He has an eye over at the adjoining nets too where Tendulkar - bowling with pads and the full batting gear save the helmet on - has caused a racket by bowling Gambhir around his legs. He joins in the laugh for a few seconds, and then gets back to his throwdowns. Kirsten is happy that the team is happy, looking prepared for their biggest challenge since their ascent to No. 1 started. And the team is happy with him. "Apart from having good players in the side, he was the one thing - you can say the best thing that happened to Indian cricket," MS Dhoni says. He also adds that having Kirsten is a huge advantage coming to South Africa. "It is not only about the conditions, he also knows about the mindset of the players that are part of their side. Of course it is a good asset." Over the next two days, Kirsten will do his utmost to prepare the team in the best possible way, for the conditions he knows and the opposition whose mindset he knows. But come 10 am on Thursday, when Dhoni walks out for the toss, he will disappear into the background again. His comfort zone.

[flamy]

:nice:

[Jersey #10]

The best coach India has ever had?

[vamos_rafa]

The best coach India has ever had?

I would rate him at par with John Wright. John along with dada was the reason due to which we are #1 today. Gary has carried on the mantle from where John left along with his own great inputs. Gary :hatsoff:

[Jersey #10]

Sachin asking for more practice than others! greedy little master still seeks to perfect his already perfect technique. What a genius...The man still practices more than others after 22 years of international cricket. All youngsters must look up to tendy and follow his hard working path

[Jersey #10]

I would rate him at par with John Wright. John along with dada was the reason due to which we are #1 today. Gary has carried on the mantle from where John left along with his own great inputs. Gary :hatsoff:

I have to agree.

[saneindian]

Can the BCCI give him a blank cheque and a contract extension of at least 2-3 years without any delay? Losing him post the WC could be a huge blow for us.

[fineleg]

Can the BCCI give him a blank cheque and a contract extension of at least 2-3 years without any delay? Losing him post the WC could be a huge blow for us.

Agreed. Though he also has WC2011 as one of the things he needs to show some results to the BCCI there after the Greg Chappell fiasco at WC2007. But overall GK has been a good find. SA will try to hire him, and so will other boards. BCCI needs to sweeten the pot and give him a lot of dough. Do it BCCI, spend the money lavishly for a wise cause, for a change!

[Deleted_User_1]

Yup this dude seems a perfect fit for a coach for Team India!! What a diametric U-turn from Chappal.

[vishalvirsingh]

I would rate him at par with John Wright. John along with dada was the reason due to which we are #1 today. Gary has carried on the mantle from where John left along with his own great inputs. Gary :hatsoff:

Hey Man..... I feel he is the BEST COACH India has ever had as he is the fittest( he plays and bowls 40 balls to each player himself) participates and trains each player individually..set high fielding targets.. is a great fielder and hence trains team to field well.... great batsmen ...coaches batting well... great bowler..as his throw downs are being talked all over, it seems he gives hard training to batters... if INDIA CAN beat AFRICA ( in africa) it is Now else as good as never...

[vamos_rafa]

Hey Man..... I feel he is the BEST COACH India has ever had as he is the fittest( he plays and bowls 40 balls to each player himself) participates and trains each player individually..set high fielding targets.. is a great fielder and hence trains team to field well....

Just because he is the fittest does not make him the best coach

great batsmen ...coaches batting well...

So was Chappell You are pointing out individual attributes which need not make him the best. He is the best along with John Wright though. Because its because of him that we have this kind of a team and this kind of a mindset. Gary has taken forwards that legacy which had taken a beating by Chappell though.

[vishalvirsingh]

Just because he is the fittest does not make him the best coach So was Chappell You are pointing out individual attributes which need not make him the best. He is the best along with John Wright though. Because its because of him that we have this kind of a team and this kind of a mindset. Gary has taken forwards that legacy which had taken a beating by Chappell though.

where is the link to start new posts dear...?

[vamos_rafa]

where is the link to start new posts dear...?

??

[Lord]

The best coach India has ever had?

I wouldnt go as far as that.we've mainly played in the subcontinent under him ,only played in NZ.this is gonna be defining moment as the article says

[SachDan]

Family may keep Kirsten from renewing contract - Dhoni MS Dhoni has said that the distance from his family might prevent Gary Kirsten, India's coach, from renewing his contract once it runs out after the 2011 World Cup. "Of course," Dhoni said when asked if India were trying to do everything within their powers to make Kirsten stay. "But what you also need to see is he has been part of the Indian cricket team for the last three years. His family - Joshua is a growing kid right now and James is a young kid too [both Kirsten's sons] - which means Gary wants to spend time with his family. That will be the most crucial thing apart from the money aspect. "He has given [the Indian team] whatever he could, the best he could, and of course it was a pleasure to have him in the side, but then again it is a decision he will have to take. More than the cricketing part, it will be his family that will have a real impact on the decision." Dhoni said there haven't yet been discussions with Kirsten about extending his contract because the team is focused on the South Africa tour and the World Cup. "It's a discussion that will take place. We will wait for the right time. After this series we have the World Cup coming, which means he still has close to two, two-and-a-half months with us. We will try to get the most out of him, but at the same time, as I always say, it will be a pleasure to have him for another three years." Dhoni reiterated Kirsten's value to the team over the course of his tenure as coach. "I have always said that he is one of the greatest things to have happened to Indian cricket apart from the talented cricketers we have got. Throughout he has been away from the media, he just concentrates on the work he needs to do. We have had a great time under him. It is an advantage to have him in the side." Kirsten joined India after the acrimonious tour of Australia in 2007-08, and under him India have completed their ascent to No. 1 Test ranking, lost just one Test series, and are going into the World Cup as one of the favourites. His behind-the-scenes-yet-hands-on style has been appreciated by the Indian players, who have taken every opportunity to thank him. Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at Cricinfo