"Virat Kohli was potentially a great player in 2011 and he is...": Gary Kirsten
Former India coach Gary Kirsten still relished his memory of winning 2011 World Cup with the Asian giants. Kirsten heaped praise on the current India skipper Virat Kohli and said he was potentially a great player in 2011. Under Kirsten-guidance, India lifted the ODI World Cup trophy after 28 years after MS Dhoni smashed a winning six against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Kirsten also said that batting great Sachin Tendulkar was easy to work because of his strong values. (Also Read | 'Tendulkar the greatest batsman, but the greatest cricketer is..': Lee names most 'complete' player)
“Sachin (Tendulkar) was easy to work with because he has such a strong value system as a person. Virat (Kohli) was potentially a great player in 2011 and he is one of the greatest now,” Kirsten told Times of India.
The former South Africa player also said it was one of the best privileges of his life to coaching the Indian team.
“I loved coaching the Indian team. It was one of the best privileges of my life. It was a fantastic journey with the players and very fond memories of the World Cup. There were a lot of expectations from the players to win the World Cup and they handled it incredibly well.
Kirsten further talked about former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who was the captain of India's 2011 World Cup-winning squad. The former coach said Dhoni is amongst the greatest sportsmen in the modern era and earned the right to leave the game on his own terms. (READ HERE)
“MS (Dhoni) is an incredible cricketer. Intelligence, calmness, power, athleticism, speed and a match-winner separate him from others and puts him amongst the greatest sportsmen in the modern era,” Kirsten said. “He (Dhoni) has earned the right to leave the game on his own terms and no one should dictate to him when that time is.”
