‘Men’s team ko iska sakth zarurat hai’ -Fans react as Gary Kirsten turns down offer to coach India Women
Gary Kirsten helped India lift the World Cup in 2011.
SHARE
Jun 20, 2023 1:41 pm
Gary Kirsten and India Women’s Team (Source: Twitter)
In an interesting piece of news, Gary Kirsten has turned down the offer of coaching the India Women from the Indian Cricket Board. As per reports Kirsten was approached by the Indian Cricket Board to replace Hrishikesh Kanitkar for the post. Kirsten has previously coached the India men’s side and led them to victory in the 2011 World Cup.
As per a report from Espn Cricinfo Kirsten has cited his commitments with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other T20 Leagues. In the IPL Kirsten is a mentor for the Gujarat Titans. The side came into the IPL in 2022 and won a title in their first year. The Hardik Pandya led side also made it to the final of IPL 2023. Kirsten was the coach of India from 2008 until after 2011. During his time India became the number one ranked Test side as well.
England’s Charlotte Edwards is also said to be in contention for the post
“ESPNcricinfo has learnt the board was keen on appointing Gary Kirsten for the top job but wasn’t able to get him onboard due to his commitments in the IPL and other leagues. Among those in contention are Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai captain, and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former India allrounder and current interim head coach. The search for a ‘big international name’ is believed to be one of the reasons for the delay in appointment,” A report from the website said.
Talking about other contenders, former England women’s cricketer Charlotte Edwards is also believed to be in contention for the job but she has not applied for the post at present. Edwards also coached the Mumbai Indian’s Women’s IPL side to victory in the inaugural edition this year. Before Kanitkar, WV Raman was the coach for India Women.
“The new coach is likely to be given a two-year term to begin with, especially because there are two world events – the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2024 and the 50-over World Cup in India in 2025 – within this period,” The report further said. The Indian women’s team made it to the finals of the 20-20 World Cup which was held in Australia in 2020.
