‘We Made Gary Kirsten. After 2011, He Didn’t Win Anything’: Sehwag’s Bombshell

Team India will be aiming to end its ICC title drought when the Rohit Sharma-led side takes part in the home ODI World Cup later this year.

The schedule for the edition was announced on Tuesday this week, as India open their campaign against five-time champions Australia on October 8. The side had won its last ICC trophy in 2013 (Champions Trophy) under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was also the last Indian captain to lift the ODI World Cup (2011).

The World Cup in 2011 took place in the subcontinent, with India being co-hosts alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The side, coached by Gary Kirsten, enjoyed a stellar campaign and defeated Kumar Sangakkara’s Sri Lanka in the final and this year, the onus will be on the duo of Rohit and Rahul Dravid to bring an end to India’s trophyless excursions at the ICC tournaments over the past 10 years.

During the schedule-unveiling event hosted by the ICC in Mumbai, Virender Sehwag – part of the 2011 winning team – discussed a wide range of topics over the upcoming World Cup including his favourites, India’s chances, and his own experiences at the marquee tournament among others. Sehwag also talked about the criticism Rahul Dravid has faced following India’s recent defeat in the World Test Championship final against Australia, and made a rather interesting remark on the role of coaches, namedropping Gary Kirsten as well.

Sehwag stated that players are responsible for the reputation of coaches, and claimed that it was Team India that made Kirsten’s career as coach.

“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,” Sehwag said at the ICC event.

“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,” Sehwag stated.

Since leaving Team India in 2011, Kirsten coached South Africa for two years between 2011-13 but failed to guide the side to an ICC title. He then had an unsuccessful stint with BBL side Hobart Hurricanes before being named the Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach in 2019. However, the side endured a dismal season, finishing at the bottom of the table. Gujarat Titans eventually picked Kirsten as head coach in their first season of the IPL in 2022, where they won the title.

“So, for me, the Indian coaching staff should prioritize keeping the players fresh and getting 100 percent out of them. If that goes well, you can see the Indian captain lifting the World Cup,” Sehwag further added.