Man management, the key to Kirsten's success

Differences in language, culture and religion make India a hard team to manage, says Makarand Waingankar, writing in the Hindu. This, he says, puts the coach's personnel management skills to a stern test.

There might not be a vast improvement technically in the players, but their confidence and comfort zones have been enhanced post-Kirsten. It's those zones which have boosted their performance. It's this aspect that even the Indian coaches in the 90s couldn't handle.

With such motley of people, seeds of discontent could easily be sowed through regional groups that can destroy a team. Kirsten had ... studied the history and the ethos of Indian cricket. The Indian team as seen during the Kirsten era was a curious mix of studious seniors and somewhat over-enthusiastic juniors. To make it work like a well-oiled team, one had to develop a sense of unity within diversity which Kirsten did.