Former Team India head coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that Sachin Tendulkar was considering retiring from the sport back in 2007 after he had stopped enjoying his cricket.

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The Indian cricket team went through a disastrous ICC Cricket World Cup campaign back in 2007, getting knockout in the first round of the grand tournament after facing defeats in the hands of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Later, Kirsten was appointed as the Men In Blue head coach with the team being led by a certain MS Dhoni, who masterminded India to a historic T20 World Cup triumph.

"I ended up having a great coaching journey with him (Tendulkar). If I think of Sachin at the time, where he was when I arrived in India… he wanted to give up the game," Kirsten said during talkSPORT podcast The Cricket Collective.

"According to him he was batting out of position. He wasn’t enjoying his cricket at all," he added.

It was under the capable management of Kirsten that India cruised to their 2011 World Cup win on home soil.

The 52-year-old also added how he helped in creating the environment where Tendulkar would thrive, which was missing when he arrived at the first place.

"And then he scores 18 international hundreds (19) in three years. Goes back to batting where he wants to bat and we won the World Cup," Kirsten recalled.

"For me, all I did was facilitate the environment for him to thrive. I didn’t have to tell him anything… he knew the game. What he did need was an environment… not only him but everyone… an environment where they can be the best versions of themselves," the South African added.

Tendulkar smashed 1,958 runs, including seven tons in 38 ODIs, during Kirsten's reign. He also scored 2,910 runs in 31 Test matches, bagging 12 centuries too.

It was in November 2013 when Tendulkar officially retired, finishing his career as the most prolific run-getter in both Tests and ODIs in world cricket.