‘There was a lot of unhappiness’ – Former India coach reveals shocking story between MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar after 2007 WC
India won their second 50-over World Cup under former South African Cricketer Gary Kirsten’s mentorship in 2011. He enjoys huge popularity and respect from Indians because of his stint with the Indian men’s cricket team as the head coach, during which India achieved numerous milestones in international cricket.
The former cricketer recently made sensational claims and revealed that there was a sense of unhappiness in the dressing room when he joined the Indian team in December 2007. Kirsten revealed that the former legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar was mulling retirement after the 2007 World Cup exit.
“The standout for me then was what kind of leadership was then required to take this very talented team and turn it into a world-beating team. That was the conundrum for any coach moving into that situation. When I took over there was definitely a lot of scarring in the team. There was a lot of unhappiness and hence for me, it was more important to understand each individual and where they felt they fit in the team and what was going to make them play cricket for sheer joy,” said Kirsten, who was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“Sachin was probably a stand out for me because he was deeply unhappy at the time that I joined the team. He felt he had a lot to offer, but he wasn’t enjoying his cricket and he was at a time in his career when he felt maybe he should retire. It was important for me to connect with him and make him feel that he had a massive contribution to make to the team and his contribution was more than what he needed to do.”
Dhoni was standout as a leader: Gary Kirsten
While praising MS Dhoni, he said that the former Indian captain was a brilliant leader as he was focused on the team doing well rather than the personal records. Due to this, Sachin started enjoying cricket again. Kirsten’s partnership with MS Dhoni will always be remembered for all that it helped Indian cricket achieve during those three and a half years.
“Any coach would want a group of players playing for the name on the front of the short and not the name on the back of the shirt. India is a tough place with a lot of hype around individual superstars and you often get lost in what your own personal needs are. And Dhoni meanwhile was standout as a leader as he was so focused on the team doing well that he wanted to win trophies and have great success and he was very public about that. And that pulled a lot of other guys into line and quite simply Sachin started enjoying cricket as well,” he explained.
