Delhi rope in Kirsten as coach
The Delhi Daredevils, who finished at the bottom in IPL-6, have engaged Gary Kirsten, who coached India to the 2011 World Cup triumph before leading South Africa to the Test no. 1 spot, as their chief coach on a three-year deal.
The 45-year-old will be assisted by Eric Simons and T.A. Sekhar on DD’s coaching panel.
The South African, introduced as Apna Munda (our boy) by the DD management at a function to announce his appointment here on Tuesday, was delighted by the new assignment. “It’s a massive privilege and honour to be involved in franchise cricket — the first of its kind for me after having done two international assignments,” the South African said.
“We just had a strategy session over the last two days and the content to come out of it on how to take the franchise forward was exciting to me. I am looking forward to adding value to the team,” he added.
Kirsten admitted it won’t be easy for him in the cut-throat competition though.
“There is no silver bullet, but a process to be followed and I am relishing the challenge. We have the auction, which is a critical juncture for getting the type of players that you want. Then, it’s a pretty quick tournament and we’ve got to be on the ball,” he said.
Queried about the obvious high expectations, Kirsten preferred to stay grounded. “All I can offer is the best of my thinking and to apply it to the content that is already out there. DD have had good success in the IPL and we need to learn from the tough times as well,” he said.
Coaching a T20 side is a first for the successful strategist but he did not see much of an adjustment to be made. “I don’t think coaching an IPL team is any different from coaching Test or ODI sides. We have to plan strategies to handle all kinds of situations and will rely on the existing expertise in the team,” Kirsten said.
“The basic philosophy doesn’t change. The people I am working with are going to be very important to me in that space. I quite enjoyed watching the IPL over the years and I’ve found it to be an exciting version of the T20 game.
“There’s a lot happening very quickly and you are making a lot of changes and shifts. I am looking forward to that constant movement and think the coach can play a very significant role in that space,” he added.
Asked if he has Mahendra Singh Dhoni (with whom he forged a highly successful partnership as India coach) on top of his list at the next auction, Kirsten dropped enough hints as he laughed out loud before saying, “That’s not for the public domain. I am not going to answer.”
Simons, who proposed Kirsten’s name at a team management brainstorming session, said “it didn’t take much convincing to get him on board.”
“Eric told me that Delhi was a fantastic franchise to be involved in, the owners are good people and that he has enjoyed himself here. On the back of that recommendation it wasn’t a difficult decision,” Kirsten said of his choice.
DD’s mentor and bowling coach Sekhar was all praise for Kirsten. “We all know what he did with the India team. We are sure Gary will carry on the legacy and lead Delhi to greater heights,” he said.
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