Text by Anand Vasu. Statistics by Rajesh Kumar. Photographs by Gallo images / Getty Images / AFP
Source: This article was taken from the April 2011 issue of Sport Illustrated
Reticent, reserved and remarkable, Gary Kirsten lets us in on his philosophy of success after three years spent making India the best Test team in the world, and a force to be reckoned with in ODI cricket.
The World Cup is a cruel competition. Every four years, the event brings to cricket a massive upheaval in terms of personnel. With every team in the world in the mix and only one winner, the search for scapegoats begins in earnest the day a team is knocked out. And who are the hardest hit? The coaches. Captains run them a close second, but it is the former cricketers that steer teams who feel the pinch the most.
At the end of this World Cup, though, one man will walk away with his head held high, regardless of where his team ends in the standings. And that is no mean feat considering his job is the most high-profile of all, the one that attracts the most scrutiny and, barring unfortunate incidents in Pakistan, takes the heaviest toll.
Gary Kirsten is lucky in that he will return home to Cape Town to the warm embrace of wife Deborah and young sons Joshua, 8, and James, 4, when the competition ends on 2 April. But the fact that he will do so has little to do with luck.
Systematically, in the three years he has worked with the team, Kirsten has earned the unstinting respect and trust of every cricketer he has been associated with. Is that easy to do? Ask Greg Chappell.
That defining moment, when Kirsten knew he would be accepted, came even before he began working full-time with the team. It was at the WACA in Perth, where a quiet South African formed a deep bond with the most quintessentially Indian cricketer.
Before the third Test in 2008, which India went into trailing 2-0 in the series, Kirsten was called upon to give Sachin Tendulkar the first of what would seem like a million throw-downs in the nets.
“I still remember that day in Perth, when Sachin came up to me and said, ‘Can you throw a few balls at me?’ I said to myself, I need to impress him. I threw from 16 or 17 yards and he missed a few balls. Next moment, he came to me and said, ‘Gary, do you mind going a few yards back?'”
To the bystander, this might seem a trivial, everyday exchange. But it signalled the beginning of a beautiful relationship. For, if Tendulkar had even the slightest doubt that Kirsten would take the act of playing and missing as weakness and opt for something lighter, he would not have asked. Tendulkar knew instinctively that Kirsten, having played 101 Tests and 185 ODIs himself, would understand that the little master had stretched himself enough in the nets proper, against the bowlers, and now needed to get something else out of practice. ‘After that, lovely cover drives flowed from Sachin’s bat. It was a good learning experience for me.”
MASTERTRUST
The goal Kirsten set was a staggering one. He decided to make India the no. 1 test team in the world. He succeeded.
Typically, it is the pupil that comes out of an exchange having learnt something, not the man designated as coach, who is supposed to be the one doing the teaching. But Kirsten knew that in the university of cricket, Tendulkar already owned the equivalent of several PhDs and that he’d have to do things differently.
The shift from the prescriptive method of instruction, which is the norm in Indian cricket, to one in which players were encouraged to take on the responsibility for learning, happened over the course of Kirsten’s tenure. Looking back, he says: “I felt that many of the more experienced Indian players were actually crying out to be given more responsibility – they did not want to be told what to do, they had their own thinking on how they were going to play. It does not work with everyone, though, and some have needed more guidance. Much of that depends on the type of players one is working with.”
This readiness to reject the one-size-fits-all approach was a cornerstone of Kirsten’s methodology. One of the first things he did was to encourage the players to apply themselves and think hard about the kind of practice they needed in the lead-up to a game. Given India’s occasionally crazy scheduling, Zaheer Khan worked out that it served him best to bowl flat out two days before a game and then not bowl at all one day prior. Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Tendulkar and various others, at different times, have availed themselves of the chance to stay away from optional sessions and emerged rather more fresh for it.
Naturally, this was first met with widespread criticism in some sections of the media, who couldn’t come to terms with the fact that not all members of the team showed up at practice after a heavy defeat.
But Kirsten has known all along that his battle would not be won in the media.
In fact, he stayed studiously far from the media, never being rude or stand-offish, always happy to have a chat if you ran into him at a cricket ground or hotel on the road, but deliberately avoiding speaking to the Indian public through the media.
Even this interview took over a month to come to fruition, from the day he agreed to do it to the time he spent studying the questions and meticulously answering them. Simply put, Kirsten knew that the players were the prime stakeholders in his professional life and that the Board of Control for Cricket in India had a role to play. The rest were all peripheral.
However, he insists it was not a conscious decision to keep a low profile or stay away from the notoriously aggressive Indian media. “I have never been a person who enjoys the spotlight, so it was a natural process for me,” he explains. “I’m also of the opinion that the coach’s work is behind the scenes and the success of the team belongs to the players. Whether the team is winning or losing, the work that we do to prepare the players for performance does not change.”
When any coach takes up an assignment, it’s reasonable for him to want to have a say in the things that directly impact the work he does. In Indian cricket, selection and scheduling are the tricky ones. Kirsten, instead of putting these forward as pre-conditions, chose to try and get some success on board first. Even from his position of strength, he requested, not demanded, things from the BCCI.
Try and prise out a moment of frustration for him, a time when he simply could not get the Board to do what was best for the team, and you draw a blank. “I think there’s been consistency in decisionmaking, which allows everyone to work towards a common goal,” is all Kirsten will say of his relationship with his paymasters. The goal Kirsten set up, first privately and then gently to the public, was a staggering one. He insisted that this Indian team should become No 1 in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings. While those he first discussed this proposal with apprised him of the gravity of what he was proposing – essentially that the Indian team could not afford to lose a single Test series in his tenure – Kirsten would not back down. What was the team’s reaction when he proposed this? “A real excitement and something to work towards, as they knew it was within their capabilities,” says Kirsten. “How we were going to get there was then my responsibility. I had to make sure we were doing the right things on a day-to-day basis. We set this goal before Australia arrived in India in October 2008 and after we had lost the series to Sri Lanka. We had to put our peg in the ground and every player has responded brilliantly and often from out of their comfort zones.”
——————————————————————————————————————————–
“NO DEARTH OF TALENT”
Kirsten talks about the team and his India experience
Fresh people bring fresh ideas. What do you think needs to change in India?
There is a lot of talent in India. As is always the case in any country, narrowing the gap ‘between the quality of first-class cricket and that of international cricket is crucial. Because of the size of India, there must be caution around diluting its first-class competition.
While the class and ability of players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman et al are established, how would you rate the quality of the emerging players?
There is no shortage of talent in India and because of this there is no reason why Indian cricket can’t remain a force in world cricket when these top players retire. The rebuilding period need not be long but they will need to go through it.
The players insist this is the happiest dressing-room they’ve been in. How does it compare to dressing-rooms you’ve occupied as a player?
We have taken a lot of pride in creating a healthy working environment where people can express themselves freely and really enjoy their time together. No team environment is immune to challenges and difficulties, and it has been my responsibility to deal with any issues.
What has touched you most about the past three years?
I’m humbled by the way the Indian cricket fraternity has accepted me and I have never taken anything for granted.
Finally, if you had to give one speech to the players, and another to India’s public, what would you have to say?
To the players, I’d say: ensure you treat every day that you represent your country with respect and humility. Give your best at all times in your attitude to performance and in your preparation. To the public: your support is truly recognised and appreciated.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
While taking players out of their comfort zones – in a cricketing sense – was important, it was equally critical that they first be returned to a good mental space. After all, Kirsten had taken over after a particularly turbulent time, when Chappel’s tenure had left the players wary of one other, and in some cases unsure of themselves. What Kirsten and his trusty deputy Paddy Upton did was shut up and listen.
Kirsten spent the first nine months to a year of his tenure just listening to the players and trying to develop a bond of trust with each one to help them work together. The most striking example, which is why it is pointed out so often, is Tendulkar. While Chappell and Tendulkar had never managed to get to the stage that they helped each other, Kirsten broke through and succeeded. “Sachin has been a real pleasure to work with and he continues to be a great example to young cricketers. He takes no short cuts in his preparation,” explains Kirsten.
“He still has a desire and motivation to work hard at his game. Most importantly, he really enjoys his cricket and brings a positive energy to the change-room. Whenever Sachin walks out to bat, he treats his batting with absolute humility.”
Kirsten encouraged players to do what they felt was best. He did not saddle them with his own ideas.
It’s no secret that one of Chappell’s biggest regrets was that he could not get Tendulkar to play more of a mentoring role within the dressing-room. But perhaps pointedly asking the great man to do so was not the best way of achieving that goal. Tendulkar, like Kirsten, is not one for big speeches. What Kirsten decided was to think less about what he wanted the players to be and instead encourage them to do what they thought was best.
Unsurprisingly, the two goals were not mutually exclusive. As any management guru will tell you, the best way to get someone to do something is to let him believe it was his own idea in the first place.
While Kirsten’s relationship with Tendulkar has been important in setting the tone for how some of the other players perceive their coach, what was more critical on a day-to-day basis was how the coach and captain got along. How important was it that they were on the same page? “I think MS [Mahendra Singh Dhoni] and I think very differently in many areas of the game, but we have a deep respect for each other’s work and, in this way, we complement one another. MS has been critical to the success of this team.
He leads by gut feel and has a calming influence,” says Kirsten. “I believe the captain and the coach need to show a combined face to the players in what we say. But, there are many ways to achieve success and I’m fully aware that my way may not always be the right way.” Kirsten concedes that it took him a while to establish a relationship of trust with Dhoni – something that was critical for leaders of the team – but now believes that was time well spent, as it has allowed them to work together more successfully than any coach-captain combination in the history of Indian cricket.
When Kirsten was appointed India’s coach (largely by accident, although many now take credit for this masterstroke) he had no credentials for the job. He had never coached an international team, even though he had worked with domestic side the Warriors as a consultant batting coach back in 2006, and was in the process of setting up his own academy in Cape Town.
Fellow South African Graham Ford, after several rounds of interviews in 2007, stunned the BCCI by declining its offer to coach India after applying for the job in the first place. England’s John Emburey and Dav Whatmore, who had tasted success with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, were also in the fray. However, a committee of three former India captains – Sunil Gavaskar, S Venkataraghavan and Ravi Shastri went with Ford, who then promptly declined, under mysterious circumstances. There was speculation that Ford had demanded a tenure longer than the two years the BCCI was offering and the freedom to choose his own support staff, but Niranjan Shah, then-BCCI secretary, revealed Ford had made no such demands.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
THE HIGH POINT IN TESTS
Kirsten’s boys have achieved many firsts in the past three years…
- Between October 2008 and January 2010, for the first time in history, India won five successive Test series – one each against Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This feat was achieved during Kirsten’s tenure.
- India moved to No 1 in the Test rankings – a position they still hold – for the first time under Kirsten after beating Sri Lanka by an innings and 24 runs in the third Test in Mumbai in December 2009.
- Before Kirsten took charge, India had never beaten Australia in two successive Test series [one-off Tests excluded). Since then India have beaten Australia in two successive Test series, both in India, by 2-0 each time, in 2008/09 and 2010/11.
- With their 1-0 series win over New Zealand in 2008/09, India, under Kirsten, finally won a Test series in New Zealand after 41 long years. India’s previous series triumph in New Zealand was recorded way back in 1967/68. It was Sachin Tendulkar’s spectacular 160 that won the Hamilton Test for India in 2009 and helped the team beat the Kiwis 1-0.
- India have not lost a single Test series under Kirsten. When Sri Lanka won the 2008 series 2-1, Kirsten was not the coach for the Colombo Test, which India lost by eight wickets. He had flown to South Africa before the start of the Test to be with his mother, Gayl Hall, who died of cancer in a Cape Town hospital soon after. Paddy Upton had officiated as coach in that Test.
- India have not lost a single Test against Australia with Kirsten as coach.
- For the first time, India did not lose a Test series played in South Africa. The series played in the latter half of 2010 ended in a 1-1 draw.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
In Kirsten’s case, he never formally applied for the job. He wasn’t one of those out-of-work former players lured by the fame, attention or money that the India coaching job offered. However, he was invited to attend an interview and was then offered the position. Even then Kirsten didn’t jump at the offer, choosing first to check if there was any truth to the stories that some of India’s senior cricketers thought he was not appropriate for the position. “If the players aren’t happy with the working conditions or the staff then there’s no point carrying on,” Kirsten would tell Neil Manthorp, a leading South African journalist who was also his biographer. Manthorp recounts Kirsten’s mental pedigree, asserting that it was essential to his success, given that he was not even the most talented cricketer in his family let alone the country.
“Look out for my boet – he has more heart than anyone I’ve seen… he has it here, too,” Peter Kirsten told Manthorp, tapping the side of his head.
Gary had sufficient reason to be wary. His father, Noel, was a wicketkeeper-batsman in Natal for domestic side Border between 1946 and 1961. Gary’s brother, Paul, and half-brothers Andy and Peter were first-class cricketers. Peter, whose career was cut short by SA being isolated from international cricket, was easily the most talented and technically adept. But Gary, who schoolmate and now partner-in-crime Paddy Upton calls the “professor of cricket”, had more bloody-minded dedication to succeeding than anyone else since South Africa reentered international cricket.
The biggest test came when the team arrived in South Africa to play against the Proteas.
Cricketing pedigree established, Kirsten still had reason to think twice, because he had never coached internationally.
Typically, he turned this into a strength. “In a way I think it helped that I had never coached an international team,” he says. “I came to the job with no coaching reference points, only what I thought of the Indian players when I played against them.”
Kirsten had tremendous success against India in ODIs, averaging more than 60 against them compared to an overall average of 40.95. In Tests, his best came at Eden Gardens in Kolkata when he made 102 and 133 against an attack that included Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble, as South Africa won by a huge margin of 329 runs. But he resists the temptation to correlate his success as coach with the mountain of runs he scored against India.
“I didn’t know any of the Indian players personally,” he says. ‘All I had were some thoughts on how I saw them as cricketers. I believe both coaching and leading people begin with understanding what makes each person tick.”
However, Kirsten is willing to concede that his massive experience as a player was a huge help, although Kapil Dev and Chappell had already amply proven that crossing the bridge from playing to coaching was anything but easy.
“Having the experience of playing as much as I did has helped tremendously in my coaching philosophies, as I have been able to check myself if what I’m saying to the players is appropriate,” says Kirsten.
Indians who played against Kirsten had nothing but respect for him, well before he took over as coach. Sample what Rahul Dravid had to say way back in 2004: “In a lot of ways I saw myself in him, in the sense that he was always more a stable, solid player than a flashy one. His ability to score runs for South Africa in difficult times amazed me. He showed that he was a genuinely big player, someone who could score big. In both Test and ODI cricket, he was always developing. Every time you played against Gary in a new series, he was a better player than last time around. I always remember him as a very tough competitor and someone who made the very best of his abilities.”
For Kirsten’s India, the biggest test came when the team arrived in SA late last year. In all their attempts, India had only won one Test on South African soil, in 2006 when Sreesanth bowled an inspired spell at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
This time around, India arrived as the No 1 Test team, quietly harbouring hopes of winning their first series in the country.
It was Kirsten who insisted that the team get there early and practise on bouncy pitches, at his academy, to offset the fact that they would play the first Test in Centurion, having concluded an ODI series against New Zealand six days earlier on a slow, low Chennai wicket.
“The SA series was the most demanding for all of us,” admits Kirsten. “The players knew they would be playing on difficult wickets that suited the South African seamers. They responded brilliantiy and showed a lot of courage.”
That courage translated into a 1-1 series that was alive till tea on the penultimate day of the final Test. “I was really proud of the players in the way they embraced the difficulties of what they were confronted with. Many were put under extreme pressure and had to play completely out of their comfort zones,” says Kirsten. “The character that some of the players showed was remarkable and it was a good indication of how important team success was to each one of them.”
This was the culmination of what Kirsten had tried to instil in a team of individuals. After years of many good men trying and failing, here was a real Indian team, one that placed more value on winning games than on individual glory. “I believe that for any organisation or team, establishing a day-to-day culture of preparing to perform for a bigger cause is the No 1 priority for any leader,” he says. What he omits is that this has been a long-time goal entrusted to Upton, who has found novel ways to demonstrate to players that while individual success may be elusive, victory is in sight and this is a goal worth working towards.
At the end of the SA series, when India walked away with their best result on South African soil, the players all gratefully accepted an invitation to the Kirsten home for a braai, which was tailored carefully to include vegetarian “sensibilities”. With Kirsten, Upton and bowling coach Eric Simons all from Cape Town, the final Test could have been one in which loyalties were stretched to breaking point. But when South Africa’s bowlers were warming up before play, they all made a point of exchanging a quick “Howzit?” with Simons, and when the last ball was bowled Upton certainly didn’t have a shortage of friends to have a cold beverage with in the hospitality boxes.
For Kirsten, though, the Cape Town ending was unexpectedly apt in that it reminded him of what was dearest. “I enjoy meeting people from different parts of the world. There is a lot to learn and I have always tried to listen carefully to what people are trying to say,” explains Kirsten. “But I love being around my family. The snippets of quality time I’ve had with my wife and my two boys over the last three years have been precious moments but all too few.”
Ultimately, it was the deal-breaker as far as Indian cricket was concerned. “To leave has not been a difficult decision because I have so enjoyed my time with the Indian team,” Kirsten says. “I made a commitment to my family that this would be no longer than a three-year journey and I want to honour that commitment.”
If you’ve watched Kirsten’s journey with the Indian team closely and had to describe it in one word, you’d choose “respect”. He impressed on the players the need to respect the game every time they took the field. He gave the players the respect they deserved, never trying to claim a part of their success. He embraced a different culture whole heartedly respecting the fact that people did things differently in this part of the world. As he departs, to be reunited with his family, he has left us with another equally powerful word: honour. And every member of the Indian team is the better for his association with Kirsten.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
HIGHLIGHTS AS ODI COACH
Kirsten also tasted success as India’s ODI cricket coach…
- For the first time in their playing history, India recorded a clean 5-0 sweep in a bilateral series, accomplishing the feat against England in India in 2008/09.
- India won the Compaq Cup, defeating Sri Lanka by 46 runs in the grand finale at Colombo, in September 2009.
- India won the Asia Cup in June 2010, defeating Sri Lanka by 81 runs in Dambulla.
- India beat New Zealand at home by a 3-1 margin in 2008/09. It was the first time that India had won both the Tests and the ODI series against the Kiwis in New Zealand in the same season.
TWENTY20 INTERNATIONALS
India have won nine and lost nine of the 18 matches under Kirsten. Winning percentage: 50.00
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Related Content
