"Tendulkar Was Deeply Unhappy At The Time I Joined": Ex-India Coach

One of the finest coaches in the global cricketing spectrum, Gary Kirsten has done wonders. Leading the Indian team all the way to the 2011 ODI World Cup title, Kirsten etched his name in the history books. But, all was not well when joined the Indian team as a coach in 2008. Though the MS Dhoni-led Team India had already won the 2007 ICC World T20 title, a stalwart like Sachin Tendulkar was not in the best frame of mind. It was a tough task for Kirsten to inspire the boys from there on.

In a video posted on The Final Word Cricket, Kirsten opened up on the challenges he faced when he joined the Indian team. One of the biggest tasks for the South African was to bring Tendulkar back on track.

"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 the sheer joy," Kirsten said in the video.

Kirsten admitted that Tendulkar was 'deeply unhappy' when he joined the team as he wasn't enjoying cricket the way he used to.

"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 may be 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."

The former South Africa batter also opened up on his chemistry with the then skipper MS Dhoni as the two worked together to take the Indian team to new heights.

"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 such a hype around individual superstar 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 he wanted to win trophies and have great success with the team 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 just played for the love of it he felt that he could make a contribution to the greater cause." he explained.

source https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sachin-tendulkar-was-deeply-unhappy-at-the-time-i-joined-ex-india-coachs-big-revelation-3780503