Sources close to him say Kirsten has taken serious note of reports in a section of the media that some players are not happy with the BCCI’s decision to recruit him.
MUMBAI: There still seems to be one final twist to the Gary Kirsten tale. The South African, who was scheduled to give an answer on Monday to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s offer to coach the national team, has held back his nod.
He apparently wants to talk to the players.
Sources close to him say Kirsten has taken serious note of reports in a section of the media that some players are not happy with the BCCI’s decision to recruit him. He wants to find out for himself.
Sources say Kirsten is confident that skipper Anil Kumble is in his favour. He had a long discussion with India’s Test captain during his interview on November 26.
Kirsten is also sure that former captain Rahul Dravid is favourably disposed towards him. But he doesn’t know the opinion of other players.
Now he wants to talk to them. In fact, he may already opened up channels to the Indian dressing room.
The most important call is likely to be made to Sachin Tendulkar, who Kirsten thinks is the central figure in the Indian team.
He may also talk to Sourav Ganguly. Sources say the former South African opener doesn’t want to walk into a situation where he is not welcome.
Kirsten now has sought more time from the BCCI. He is likely to reply to the board in a couple of days. He has also sought the details of the Indian team’s tour itinerary for the next year.
A Board official said that they had no reason to believe Kirsten would back out.
However, he was not aware of Kirsten’s concern over the players’ opinion.
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