Gary Kirsten

A stoic batsman who was never known for any sort of flamboyance or aggression, it was not a surprise when the man took the back seat while the rest of the cricket mad nation (India winning the 2011 WC) celebrated a 28 year World Cup drought with frenzy and chaos.

Like his half-brother, Peter, Gary came from the old school of cricket which moulded him into a hard-working scrapper. Not a treat to the watching public, Gary laid emphasis on the basics of cricket. A pillar at the top of the batting order, Kirsten often shaped the way the South African innings progressed. Gary Kirsten was not an artist, he was more of a layman who set the base for the others to prosper on. A consistent scorer, Gary held the South African record for most runs and centuries in Test cricket until Jacques Kallis overtook him.

A gritty batsman, Kirsten had his problem with incoming deliveries, something for which he slogged hours at the nets to eradicate. In a career that lasted 101 Tests, Kirsten’s moment under the sun came in the Boxing Day Test against England in 1999 when he scored a career best 275, equalling the record set for the highest individual score by fellow batsman, Daryll Cullinan. Gary Kirsten also has the highest individual score by a South African batsman in an ODI match, 188* against UAE in the 1996 WC.

Gary scored a then SA record of 21 Test centuries, it is interesting to note that South Africa have lost only once when Kirsten scored a century while winning 11 times. His final knock was a typical gritty 76 batting in the middle order to help SA salvage a series draw against New Zealand.

After retirement, Gary Kirsten set up an academy in his home-town, Cape Town. In 2008, Kirsten became the coach of the Indian cricket team for a 2 year period which was later extended by a year. His cool demeanour and composed mannerisms soon became a hit with the Indian players as the cricket mad country reached the top of the pile in both Test and ODI cricket. India became the No. 1 ranked Test team under his excellent guidance, but the icing on the cake was a successful tour of South Africa and finally realizing the ambition of a 2nd WC triumph which was spectacularly achieved at home. A poignant moment was when the younger members of the team lifted him and paraded him around the stadium.

More lucrative offers were awaiting Kirsten, but the homely man decided to go back to his roots ending a 3-year successful alliance with India. Soon, Kirsten was sounded out for the coaching position of South Africa. Kirsten guided SA to a 1-1 series draw against Australia before completing a first series victory as coach against Sri Lanka. After having another successful stint as a coach, this time with the South African, Kirsten decided to step down in July 2013 and hand over the reigns to Russell Domingo. However, just after a few months, the IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils named Kirsten as their head coach for the 2014 edition.


By Pradeep Krishnamurthy
As of April 2014