Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten, who had played an important role alongside the former India captain MS Dhoni in India’s 2011 World Cup win, said that the batting legend Sachin Tendulkar is the easiest cricketer he has worked with. Notably, Kirsten was the coach of India for three years from 2008 to 2011 and he also referred to this period as his most cherished periods in the game as well.

“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.

He further added, “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.”

He also spoke about the much-talked topic of the game nowadays - the future of MS Dhoni, who has been out of the action ever since India lost to New Zealand last year in the ICC Cricket World Cup in England. However, the former India coach also explained that a decision is needed to make.

"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."

On the other hand, there were speculations over MS Dhoni's return in the circuit with the cash-rich tournament Indian Premier League. But that took a backseat as of now because of the global pandemic novel coronavirus which not only postponed the IPL for the time being but also cancelled all the sporting events across the globe. Although Cricket Australia have announced their international fixtures, only time can tell when the sport will return in its full form.
Source: Cricadium