'We Made Gary Kirsten': Virender Sehwag Points Out 2011 World Cup Winning Coach's Subsequent Failures
Gary Kirsten was India's coach in 2011 [Twitter]
During the much-anticipated ICC World Cup 2023 schedule-unveiling event organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Mumbai, former India cricketer, Virender Sehwag, spoke on a wide array of topics concerning the forthcoming tournament, his personal favourites, India's prospects among other intriguing subjects.
Gary Kirsten's coaching career lacked major victories after 2011 World Cup win: Sehwag
Sehwag also addressed the critical reception faced by Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid after India's defeat in the World Test Championship final against Australia. Notably, the former opener made a fascinating observation regarding the role of coaches, specifically mentioning Gary Kirsten, who coached the Indian team to glory in the ICC World Cup 2011.
Sehwag highlighted the significant role players play in determining the reputation of their coaches. He emphasized that when a player performs well, the coach receives praise, and if he falters, the coach faces criticism.
The Indian veteran further pointed out that despite India's commendable achievement of reaching the WTC Final, the focus remained on their loss rather than acknowledging their accomplishment.
“Once the player is on the ground, the reputation of the coach depends on him. If the player performs good, coach is lauded, and vice versa. We reached WTC Final but no one was talking about the fact that we reached there. Everyone was critical of us losing the final. Rahul Dravid is a good coach, but at the end of the day, a player has to do the job,” said Sehwag.
Seizing the opportunity to elucidate his perspective, Sehwag expressed that Gary Kirsten's coaching career gained prominence following India's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign. However, he pointed out that despite the South African's subsequent coaching roles with various teams, he failed to secure notable triumphs apart from his success in the IPL.
The erstwhile opener further highlighted the significant contributions of Ashish Nehra, suggesting that Nehra's efforts appeared more substantial compared to Kirsten's during their time together.
“We made Gary Kirsten after winning 2011 World Cup. He coached many teams after that, but didn't win anything except IPL. There too, Ashish Nehra was working a lot more than Kirsten. And this is actually true, you can see it even while watching on the television,” added the legendary batter.
Expanding upon his viewpoint, Sehwag underscored the importance of the Indian coaching staff prioritizing the well-being and vitality of the players, as well as extracting their utmost potential.
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