Throughout the years, the Indian cricket team has had an array of coaches, some outstanding like John Wright and Ravi Shastri, and others not as successful as Greg Chappell and Kapil Dev. The position of the head coach of the Indian cricket team is one of the most renowned roles in the country of 1.4 billion people, with sky-high expectations and substantial media attention. What makes the job even more challenging is managing a team of stars.
Gary Kirsten, former head coach of India, initially found the job challenging. He arrived in 2007, the year when India was eliminated from the ODI World Cup, and he felt an atmosphere of unhappiness in the dressing room. He also detailed why MS Dhoni was the standout for him, indicating that the former captain was comparable to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
In an interview with Adam Collins on the ‘The Final Word cricket podcast‘ show, Kirsten spoke of the atmosphere in the Indian team when he was appointed as the head coach in December 2007. He described it as ‘scarred’ and ‘unhappy’ and mentioned that Sachin Tendulkar was particularly feeling ‘unhappy’ and considering retirement at the time. This was not an unexpected development, as it had been known that Tendulkar wanted to retire after the World Cup in the West Indies, but it was rather surprising to hear that these thoughts had persisted throughout 2007.
Kirsten noted that Sachin was in a difficult place when Dhoni arrived on the team. He wasn’t enjoying his cricket and was considering retirement. He saw it as his responsibility to let him know that he still had a lot to offer the team. And that he was valued for more than just what was required of him.
Kirsten further adds that in India, there is a lot of pressure on players to perform individually, it can often be difficult to stay focused on what is best for the team. Dhoni was a great example of this, he made it clear that he was focused on the team’s success and this motivated the other players to follow. In turn, this allowed Sachin to enjoy playing cricket again.
