Relationships are everything for me: Gary Kirsten

When Gary Kirsten left his coaching role with the Indian cricket team, many were quite visibly upset. However, the 48-year old has left his undying legacy on Indian cricket, something that is still visible in the world today. Although many have tried to copy his philosophy and his methods, very few have succeeded.

When speaking about his philosophy in a detailed interview, Kirsten stressed the importance of relationships in team building, something that can be used to formulate a perfect team bonding experience for all the team members.

“Relationships, for me, are everything,” said Gary Kirsten, as his cold blue eyes and a bright “welcome-to-India” vermillion dot in between stared at me. “I am on this journey of life to create those relationships and very special connections.”

“…I am not, to be honest with you, that interested in results,” continued one of the most successful cricket coaches of all time. “In any team, I want them (the players) to become better. But, for me, to build those solid connections with people is why I wake up in the morning. It’s less about the results.”

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Kirsten also went on to speak about some of the coaches he has worked with in the past with the likes of Bob Woolmer, Eric Simons, and Duncan Fletcher.

“The best coaches that I worked with were the ones I wanted to play for,” Kirsten said. “They genuinely cared about my performances — and cared about me as a human being. Duncan Fletcher, Eric Simons, and Bob Woolmer — they weren’t in it for their own glory. I took a lot out of their coaching style because it worked for me. Their style was first, about the growth of a player, and second, about performances. It’s more important to let a player become a better one than it is to have a great season.”

Speaking about India, Kirsten said that the Indians revolved around individual talent. “The Indian way is more flair and instinct. It’s more individualistic, while South Africa’s is more team-oriented. Over here, in India, it’s the individual who stands out,” Kirsten recalled. “Now, the concept of team was very dear to me. [It was] a very strong South African way [of doing things], and we introduced that in the [Indian] environment. The players really enjoyed it. It became a common belief for us that the team is more important than the individual.”

As Rohit Sharma once said, “(Kirsten) never shouts instructions or talks about your flaws when others are around. He’ll have a quiet, friendly talk in private. It’s much easier to take the advice that way.”

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Kirsten also went on to enumerate a story on how MS Dhoni had his back in an Air force base. “I will never forget this one incident in Bangalore,” Kirsten said. “We were going to the Indian Air Force base to meet up with a couple of guys there and do a bit of training with them. And we were three South African members of the support staff. They wouldn’t allow us because we weren’t Indians. And MS Dhoni stood up and said, ‘We are not coming if you don’t allow Gary and Paddy (Upton) and Eric (Simons) to come as well.’

“That’s a value system. He is standing up for us. And that’s what we were about. As an Indian team, we stood up for each other. I knew that MS had my back because he trusted me because he knew that I had his back. We are very close to people. I am very close to MS. I trusted him with everything in a game of cricket. So when you got relationships like that, you can do anything.”

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