Guru Gary bids goodbye, time to say hello to Warne?
MUMBAI/JAIPUR: After leading Team India to a historic World Cup victory, coach Gary Kirsten bid India an emotional goodbye on Tuesday.
The affable former South African opening batsman, who also helped India reach the No. 1 Test ranking, left for home to conclude one of the happiest and most successful phases in his career and that of Indian cricket.
The soft-spoken and shy Kirsten, who took up the coach's job as a greenhorn, heaped praise on the Indian team, Sachin Tendulkar and captain M S Dhoni as he spoke to the media at the BCCI Cricket Centre.
Reading from a statement, Kirsten said, "It's been a remarkable journey over the last three years with Team India. This has been one of the most cherished experiences of my life. We set our goals as a team way back in October 2008, we wanted to become the No.1 ranked Test team in the world and win the World Cup. We have achieved both those goals and the players of both the Test team and the World Cup squad can be extremely proud of this magnificent achievement."
Meanwhile, in Jaipur, Aussie leg-spin legend and captain-cum-coach of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, added a touch of spice and drama to Kirsten's departure. Although he did not say so in as many words, the Aussie's body language indicated that he might consider the job, if it came his way.
"I would enjoy working with the Indian team for sure," he said while replying to a question during the unveiling ceremony of Rajasthan Royals' jersey. That puts the onus solely on the BCCI whether to accept this "offer".
Warne, who is the coach-cum-skipper of the Jaipur-based team, showed shrewd cricketing acumen when he led the Royals to victory in the first edition of the IPL in 2008 against all odds. The 41-year-old Warne, who has never captained Australia, is known as much for controversies off the field as for his brilliant show on it.
After the "bitter" experience that Team India had with Greg Chappell, it would be interesting to see whether the Indian players would be willing to accept another headstrong coach.
World Cup: Gary bids goodbye, Warne says hello
