Former India’s cricket team coach Gary Kristen is heaping praises on Virat Kohli for his insatiable hunger for improvement and according to him the craving for improvement which Kohli carries is the characteristic of a great player. Gary Kristen has coached India from 2008-2011. Kirsten told PTI, “He is a great player. He continues to improve and get better. I enjoy working with him because he continually wants to learn about the game and all the great players do that.”
Gary Kristen is currently working as the assistant coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore where Virat Kohli serves as the captain of the team. Furthermore, he also supported Kohli’s decision of playing county cricket and said it would be extremely beneficial for him to get used to the pitch conditions before England tour. Kirsten termed the IPL as an important league which plays a pivotal role in the development of Indian cricket. “I am really excited by what I see in the IPL, some good young players are there. The IPL helps tremendously in shaping the cricket in India.” Kirsten told PTI. Kirsten is also anticipating the India-England series will be a competitive series which will be fought keenly.
Gary Kirsten has recently launched his academy in Pune with the partnership of Grassroots Sports Academy. Kirsten is in search of young talent in India to offer them the state of the art coaching and along with this, he is also providing coaching education. He further said, “India has such immense cricketing talent. From every small town to a big city, there are gifted youngsters waiting to be tapped. I have always had a warm, home-like connection with India and feel deeply involved in their cricketing passions. We are trying to add value to young cricketers’ lives and being involved in cricket in India at the junior level at the grassroots. The aim is to let the young kids develop holistically and get the opportunities to sharpen their skills.”
There will be a selection process where six player each would be selected from six cities – Pune, Bangalore, Jaipur, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai for a weekend training programme in July. Afterwards, out of 36 players, three would be selected and will be given a scholarship for a two-month residential High-Performance Camp worth Rs 2 lakh. Apart from scouting young talent, the academy will also have coach education programs. “Gary Kirsten Cricket is committed to coaching budding players and even coaches to better their game. And with the kind of talent that India consistently produces, we want to be there to help them attain greater heights,” Kirsten said.