'Sachin Tendulkar wanted to give up cricket when I arrived in India,' says Gary Kirsten

Former Indian coach Gary Kirsten recently revealed that the great Sachin Tendulkar was not in the right frame of mind when the former took over the role at the helm in 2008.

The South African stated that Tendulkar was not enjoying his cricket and that the former Mumbai Indians captain was considering retirement.

Speaking on Talksports' Following On podcast, Gary Kirsten spoke about the plans he implemented as head coach of the Indian cricket team and the environment he sought to create in the dressing room.

When asked about Sachin Tendulkar, Gary Kirsten said:

“If I think of Sachin Tendulkar at that time, where he was when I arrived in India … he wanted to give up the game. According to him, he was batting out of position, he wasn’t enjoying his cricket at all. Three years later, he scores 18 international hundreds in three years, goes back to batting where he wants to bat, and we win the World Cup."

Kirsten also stated that he had a great coaching journey with the Master Blaster -

“I ended up having a great coaching journey with him and that, for me, is where the essence of coaching is now, certainly modern coaching. You’re actually facilitating people’s ability to be the best version of themselves.”

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Kirsten on how he helped Sachin Tendulkar

Kirsten and Sachin Tendulkar in a nets session

Gary Kirsten also shed some light on what he did differently to help the Indian players reach their full potential. He said -

“All I did was facilitate an environment for him to thrive. I didn’t tell him (Sachin Tendulkar) anything. He knew the game, but what he did need was an environment – not only him, all of them – an environment set up where they could be the best version of themselves."

When Greg Chappell's tenure as head coach ended, the Indian team was in deep turmoil and Gary Kirsten pulled them out of the rut they found themselves in. He recently also talked about his interview for the post.

After Kirsten took over, the team went on an excellent run which culminated in the historic 2011 World Cup win. The former opener formed a productive partnership with the then-captain MS Dhoni and also went on to coach the South African national team.