Half of my mind has said yes, says Gary Kirsten after India coach offer

Kirsten, whose 11-year international career as a solid left-hand batsman ended three years ago, has told the BCCI’s seven-member coach selection panel that interviewed him here last evening that he needs seven days to “make up his mind” after considering the offer from a “family point of view.”

Describing the offer to coach India for the next two years as “a great honour,” Kirsten, who turned 40 just four days ago, told The Indian Express this morning, hours before his flight back home from Mumbai: “It’s a great offer. I had an interesting chat with the selection panel yesterday. One half of my mind immediately said ‘yes’ but I will have to go through the contract carefully, look at it from a family point of view, and get back within seven days.”

Kirsten added he was not in a position to divulge details of the contract although BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, who was part of the panel that interviewed the South African, confirmed that the offer was for a tenure of two years.

“It has happened all of a sudden. I was approached just a couple of weeks ago. Nothing has been discussed in detail yet. Or confirmed. Everything lies in the contract that is offered,” said Kirsten, who was famous for his no-frills batting but has no serious team coaching experience yet. However, while the world’s richest cricket board is waiting eagerly to know which way he would shake his head, Kirsten, who was South Africa’s batting consultant during India’s tour last year-end, said he had a “fair idea” of the job.

“I have played against some of them (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and current skipper Anil Kumble). I watched them when they were in South Africa for the Test series last year-end. So I do have a fair idea,” he said.

BCCI’s Shah said that the Board would take an official call only after Kirsten agrees to take on the job “to prevent a situation like in June” when Ford (former South Africa coach and Kent’s cricket director) first agreed, attended a much-hyped interview in Chennai, and then backtracked.

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