As a captain, his mindset was always to look at the team first, Gary Kirsten on MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has often been hailed as one of the best leaders in the history of Indian cricket by fans as well as cricketers. The enigmatic former Indian captain won the 2011 World Cup which is a dream for any cricketer and had an able coach like former South African opening batter Gary Kirsten. Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni's pairing proved to be brilliant for team India as they managed to lift the World Cup trophy after 28 years for India. 

The former Indian coach while speaking with Indian Express praised MS Dhoni for the things that he has achieved. MS Dhoni is the only skipper in history to have won all ICC tournaments as captain of the Indian team. While talking about MS Dhoni Gary Kirsten said, “I think he’s just an ultimate team player. He is a great leader, his interest is in the performance of the team.”

“As a captain, his mindset was always to look at the team first and see the way the team could be thriving. He never dwelled on his own performances. His focus was always on how the team could do well” Gary Kirsten said.

He also talked about his thought process and how he does coaching saying, “I think every environment requires something different. So it’s really about understanding the environment you are working in. For example, working with a lot of senior players requires a different leadership as compared to when you are with a group of junior, inexperienced players.

“So, it’s really understanding that environment. Your style of leadership will be based on what the requirements are. Young players need a bit more guidance and direction. Senior players just need an environment where they feel they can make a contribution. I think a lot of it just depends on the environment that you are working in as a coach."