Former India head coach Gary Kirsten, who led the side to the famous 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, showered praise on Gautam Gambhir after the Men in Blue levelled the five-match series against England with a stunning 6-run win in the fifth and final Test. Though the side is yet to register their second Test series victory under the guidance of Gambhir, their performance in the England tour was nothing short of impressive.
Many cricket experts had written off the Indian team even before the series had commenced as they had picked quite a young squad. However, the side led by Shubman Gill ended up proving their doubters wrong by drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar at 2-2.
Kirsten remarked that he was 'very pleased' with the Indian team's performance under Gambhir against England and added that the series draw was a great achievement for Indian cricket as a whole.
"I'm very excited that India won the series; I mean, levelled the series. It's great for Indian cricket, and I'm really pleased for Gautam Gambhir as well. He's well known, and I've worked with him a lot. I'm just pleased for what he's achieved with the team," Kirsten told reporters after the end of 5th Test.
"I think India has a strong sports culture as well. Every country does it one way or another. My love for India is to see the development of young people in the holistic development of them. We know that education is really strong in India, and that's something that, as South Africans, we can learn from," he added.
Gambhir doesn't have a great Test record as head coach
Gambhir, who became India's head coach replacing Rahul Dravid in July, 2024, doesn't have a great Test record. Under his guidance, the side has only recorded one series triumph that too against Bangladesh. They suffered a series whitewash at home against New Zealand and also lost the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia by 1-3. Gambhir will be hoping that the side emerges victorious in the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies which is set to commence from October 2.