![\"\u2018Gambhir](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133227263,imgsize-100755,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg\" "\\"File")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMUMBAI: India may be staring at the possibility of another setback in their World Test Championship campaign and that has increased the antagonism that cricket fans in India have towards head coach Gautam Gambhir<\/a>. However, on Thursday, Gambhir found support from an old ally. Sri Lanka coach Gary Kirsten<\/a> threw his weight behind the underfire India head coach, insisting that the former opener\u2019s coaching credentials speak for themselves during a virtual media interaction.Kirsten, a former left-handed opener who coached India from 2008-11, cited Gambhir\u2019s coaching record and said, \u201cHe\u2019s a fantastic coach. He\u2019s had incredible success. He has won a T20 World Cup (2026) and the ICC Champions Trophy<\/a> (2025). He\u2019s also had success in the IPL (Gambhir was the team mentor for 2024 IPL champs Kolkata Knight Riders). His record speaks for itself. I really enjoyed working with him when he was a player. He\u2019s a smart cricketer and I knew he\u2019d have success as coach.\u201dGambhir played under Kirsten when the South African was with the Indian team. He later coached South Africa (2011-13) and served as Pakistan\u2019s head coach in white-ball cricket for six months in 2024.\u201cIt was a great three years and a privileged one to work with Indian players,\u201d Kirsten said. \u201cThere was a lot of skill in that dressing room. What I appreciated was that they accepted me into their space and felt I could add value. I\u2019ve approached the Sri Lankan role with the same seriousness.\u201dLately, India have shown a tendency to struggle against quality spin but Kirsten refused to reveal whether Sri Lanka would specifically target that weakness.Instead, he stressed that the hosts were focused on executing their own skills rather than obsessing over opponents.\u201cWe would like to bring all our skills into the game, not just spin,\u201d he specified. \u201cWhether you\u2019re a seamer or a spinner, if you\u2019re executing your skills properly, you\u2019ll be in the game. We\u2019ve done our homework on India and identified areas we may be able to exploit, but cricket unfolds session by session and you adapt accordingly.\u201dThe South African chose to be diplomatic when asked about India\u2019s recent batting issues against spin. Instead, he kept steering the conversation back to Sri Lanka\u2019s own preparation. \u201cI\u2019m not here to judge the Indian team,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are a quality side with tremendous depth. Our responsibility is to make sure we\u2019re ready, both in terms of skill execution and strategy. The focus remains on our strengths.\u201dHe also played down suggestions that Sri Lanka\u2019s plans would revolve solely around left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, whose remarkable record in Galle has earned him the nickname \u2018King of Galle\u2019. Jayasuriya has claimed 125 wickets in just 23 Tests, including 81 at the venue. \u201cHe\u2019s a world-class bowler and he\u2019s had great success at home,\u201d Kirsten said. \u201cBut we don\u2019t build our bowling strategy around one player. Every bowler has a role to play. It\u2019s obviously great to have him in the mix though.\u201dAn unapologetic Test cricket-tragic who played in 101 Tests for the Proteas, Kirsten said he preferred longer Test series. \u201cI\u2019m a Test match purist. I love Test cricket. And my personal belief is that every country gets to play at least 10 Tests a year. I was very fortunate to be part of a South African team and to play over 100 Tests over a period of 11 years, which means you\u2019ve got to play somewhere around 10 a year. There are challenges in the modern schedule, but it\u2019s always great when your main Test-playing nations get to play a lot of Test cricket,\u201d said the 58-year-old.Kirsten also welcomed Sri Lanka Cricket\u2019s decision to allow free entry for spectators during the series, saying fuller stadiums create a far better experience. \u201cIt\u2019s better to have people in the stadiums than no one,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know all the business implications, but from a cricket perspective it\u2019s wonderful.\u201d(Watch the India-Sri Lanka Test series live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV)<\/div>\n File Pic: Gary Kirsten and Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo) MUMBAI: India may be staring at the possibility of another setback in their World Test Championship campaign and that has increased the antagonism that cricket fans in India have towards head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, on Thursday, Gambhir found support from an old ally. Sri Lanka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gary-kirsten-and-gautam-gambhir.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"File Pic: Gary Kirsten and Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo) MUMBAI: India may be staring at the possibility of another setback in their World Test Championship campaign and that has increased the antagonism that cricket fans in India have towards head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, on Thursday, Gambhir found support from an old ally. 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