Is Gary the Right Choice? - BCCI Tamasha - Kirsten had not Even Applied for the Job
S S Shreekumar?Newindpress
Bangalore, Nov 28: Former South African opener Gary Kirsten is about to be named - Is he? - as the third foreign coach of the Indian cricket team after John Wright (New Zealdn) and Greg Chappell (Australia).
He was interviewed by the coach selection committee comprising former captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and S Venkataraghavan, BCCI joint secretary M P Pandove, treasurer N Srinivasan and secretary Niranjan Shah in Delhi on Monday. The BCCI is to make a formal announcement about the new coach in a week’s time.
But why Kirsten? Or is the BCCI pushing everyone ‘up another tree’. Going by the BCCI’s functioning, it will be no surprise if someone else, including Australian John Buchanan, is given the job.
For the BCCI called for applications to appoint a coach. Kirsten hadn’t applied. He did not figure in the original list of applicants nor does he have any experience of coaching an international side.
Yet, the selection committee which includes those luminaries and the lesser ones is said to have been impressed by Kirsten’s presentation. Of what? One is tempted to ask.
Kirsten is said to have been regarded as one of the best openers in South African cricket. He has 6798 runs at an average of over 40 in the 185 ODIs before he retired after South Africa’s exit from the 2003 World Cup. His Test record shows that he has 7289 in 101 Tests with an average of 45.27.
Ever since Greg Chappell bid adieu, the Indian team has had only cricket managers in Ravi Shastri, Chandu Borde and Lalchand Rajput who also serve as as stop-gap coaches. The BCCI is said to have received more than 20 applications for the job.
They include former India wicketkeeper and Maharashtra coach Chandrakant Pandit, Martin Crowe (former New Zealand captain), Kepler Wessels (former Australia and South African player), Richard Done (former head coach of Queensland Academy of Excellence), Tim Boon (coach Leicestershire), Terry Oliver (coach Queensland) and Dave Nosworthy (coach Canterbury).
How Kirsten’s presentation scores over all these worthies is beyond comprehension. If Test or ODI average and records are enough to select him as the coach, who better than Sunil Gavaskar himself? That he isn’t inclined for the job is a different matter. ‘‘I really cannot understand the BCCI’s mindset. They establish a procedure to appoint a coach and don’t stick to it. By calling someone who has not even applied for the job, they are only insulting those who did so,’’ opined a former player on condition of anonymity.
‘‘Whether he is good or not, the BCCI continues to embarrass itself and many others in the process,’’ he added.
‘‘I don’t think this is a right move. With no coaching experience, how is he going to handle the team?’’ wondered another who also did not want to be named for technical reasons.
Chennai (ENS): Nothing is finalised, but it is more or less certain that Kirsten will be appointed as the new coach. “It is a good thing that he is not a superstar.
Sometimes, if you had been a great player, you expect the same from the bunch of players you coach. And if they do not rise up to your expectations, it can frustrate you. You need a lot of patience and Kirsten has that in abundance,” said former India opener Chetan Chauhan.