“Tendulkar was deeply unhappy at the time that I joined the team” - Gary Kirsten opens up on dark phase in Indian cricket in 2007
Former India coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that Sachin Tendulkar was going through an unhappy phase and wasn’t enjoying his cricket when the South African began his stint towards the end of 2007.
Indian cricket suffered a massive setback in 2007 when they were knocked out of the ODI World Cup in the first round, following losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The shock result marked the nadir of Indian cricket during the Greg Chappell era.
In subsequent years, Tendulkar opened up on how he contemplated retirement following the disaster in the West Indies during the 2007 ODI World Cup. In an interaction with Adam Collins on the ‘The Final Word cricket podcast’, Kirsten elaborated on the Indian legend’s low phase. The former coach said:
"The standout for me then was what kind of leadership was then required to take this very talented team and turn it into a world-beating team. That was the conundrum for any coach moving into that situation. When I took over there was definitely a lot of scaring in the team. There was a lot of unhappiness, and hence for me, it was more important to understand each individual."
He added:
“Tendulkar was probably a standout for me because he was deeply unhappy at the time that I joined the team. He felt he had a lot to offer, but he wasn't enjoying his cricket, and he was at a time in his career when he felt may be he should retire. It was important for me to connect with him and make him feel that he had a massive contribution to make to the team, and his contribution was more than what he needed to do."
"After India's 2007 World Cup exit, Rahul Dravid took him and Ms Dhoni for a movie and Said, look, yes we lost the World Cup. We all wanted to make a big difference, but this is not end of it. Life is much bigger. We will come back tommorow." - Irfan Pathan (To Cricket Next)
Commendably, Tendulkar overcame his tough phase and went on to play a stellar role in India’s ODI World Cup triumph at home in 2011.
Sachin Tendulkar was asked to bat in middle order in 2007 ODI World Cup
One of the reasons India suffered in the 2007 World Cup was because Tendulkar was asked to bat in the middle order by then-coach Chappell, even though he had achieved most of his success as an opener. The Indian legend never looked comfortable at No. 4 during the tournament in the West Indies.
He was dismissed for seven off 26 against Bangladesh and was bowled for a duck against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh stunned India by five wickets before the Men in Blue lost to the Lankans by 69 runs.
Chappell resigned as India’s coach following the team's 2007 World Cup debacle. Team India regrouped under Kirsten and new captain MS Dhoni and went on to lift the ODI World Cup four years later.