“MS (Dhoni) is an incredible cricketer. Intelligence, calmness, power, athleticism, speed and a match-winner separate him from others and puts him amongst the greatest sportsmen in the modern era,” Kirsten told timesofindia.com on Thursday (May 28).
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“He (Dhoni) has earned the right to leave the game on his own terms and no one should dictate to him when that time is,” he added.
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When asked whether he would coach India again, he said, “I would always consider it, although it would need to work out for everyone.”
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Kirsten ended his tenure as India coach after winning the 2011 World Cup.
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Kirsten had earned the respect of senior players including Sachin Tendulkar.
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This picture shows how Indian players hoisted Kirsten after they won the World Cup 2011 in Mumbai.
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Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli carried Kirsten around the Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium after the World Cup 2011 final.
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Once Kirsten had said, "I would go to war with Dhoni by my side". Kirsten admired Dhoni's leadership.
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“Winning and losing don’t mean a lot to him, he just gets on with it. He has this uncanny presence about him without saying much. People want to follow him, people want to go with him,” Kirsten had said about Dhoni in 2011.
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After his stint with Indian team, Kirsten coached South Africa too. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and also head coach of Delhi Daredevils (DD). Last year, RCB replaced Kirsten with Simon Katich.
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