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Gary Kirsten pictured in 2010 – By Sumeet Moghe –

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten, nicknamed Gazza, is a former cricket player (cricketer) and cricket coach. Having achieved great success as both a player and coach, Kirsten is the definition of a cricket legend. To date, he remains one of the most successful coaches and players.

Gary Kirsten was born on 23rd November 1967 in Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa. He played as an opening batsman for most of his games. Kristen played 101 Test matches as well as 185 One Day Internationals for his country, South Africa.

After retirement as a cricket player, he became a coach, and a successful one at that. Proving that those who can do can teach too! He coached the Indian cricket team between 2008 and 2011 before taking over the South African from 2011 to 2013.

Below are some outstanding facts about the life and career of the former South African opening batsman.

1. He Made His Test Debut In 1993

On 14th December 1993, Gary Kirsten made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne. Kirsten’s international career lasted for 11 years as he retired from international cricket in 2004. His retirement came in a match against New Zealand after crafting a match-winning 76 in his final innings.

2. Two of His Brothers Are Cricketers Too

Gary Kirsten is not the only Kirsten to have found their calling as a professional cricket player. Gary’s brother Paul was a wicketkeeper-batsman for Griqualand West and Western Province.

Peter Kirsten, Gary’s half-brother is another accomplished cricket player in the family. Peter represented South Africa between 1991 to 1994 in 12 Test Matches and 40 One Day Internationals.

In August 2014, Peter was appointed coach of the Uganda national cricket side. Unlike Peter and Gary Kirsten, Paul and some Kirsten cousins played other sports such as Squash, Tennis, and Rugby.

3. Gary Kirsten Held the Record for Most Runs Against England

Kirsten played 22 Test matches against England with his most successful triumphs coming against them. Throughout his career, he scored 1608 runs against them averaging 48, and slumming five centuries and seven half-centuries.

These five centuries include 210 runs at Manchester in 1998 and 275 in 1999 at Durban. The 275 runs in 1999 were a record against England. The record was however broken by South African Graeme Smith in 2003 when he scored 277.

Against England, Garu Kirsten batted for 14 and a half hours. In terms of duration, this stands as the second longest innings in Test History.

4. He Built a Reputation as an Efficient Batsman

Cricket Batsman by shauking from

In as much as Gary Kirsten was a reliable fielder, he built a reputation as one of the best batsmen in the game. He made most of his appearances and playing minutes as a batsman.

Gary could control the tempo of innings in whatever manner he needed to. However, much like Steve Waugh and Justin Langer (other cricket legends), he simply waited for the bad ball.

Before being eclipsed by Jacques Kallis, Kirsten held the South African records for the most runs and centuries in a Test career. He was the first Test batsman to score 100 against every other Test nation’s other nine teams.

5. He Took Over the Indian Team as Coach In 2008

Indian players celebrate after taking a wicket against New Zealand in 2010 – By Chubby Chandru –

Kirsten retired from international cricket in 2004 and after a short hiatus, he organized and started his cricket academy. On 4th December 2007, after speculation from various sources, he announced he would be taking the vacant post of coach of the India Team.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offered Kirsten a two-year contract. He accepted the terms despite voicing some concerns over whether he would have the full support of the players.

Kirsten’s coaching career officially began on 1st March 2008. His first full series as coach was somewhat of a homecoming against South Africa in March – April. The series ended as a 1-1 draw but this was the start of great things to come for Kirsten and the Indian Team.

6. Kirsten Achieved Great Success as Coach of The Indian Team

In his first year as coach of the Indian Team, Kirsten led them to two finals, the Kitply Cup and the 2008 Asia Cup. However, India went on to lose both finals. Despite this tumultuous start, the India Team went on to achieve great things under Kirsten.

Kirsten coached the team to a 2-0 win against Australia in a home series. He also led them to their first bilateral series win in Sri Lanka against Sri Lanka. Kirsten also won India’s first Test and One-Day International series victories against New Zealand in New Zealand after 40 years.

On 14th September 2009, India won the Compaq Cup after beating Sri Lanka by 46 runs. India went on to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup after defeating Sri Lanka. Indian legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni even said that he is the best thing that happened to Indian cricket.

7. He Left the Indian Team Due to Family Reasons

Much to the disappointment of Many, Kirsten announced that he would not renew his contract beyond 2011. He stated that he needed to spend more time with his family, two sons (Joshua and James) and wife, more.

Kirsten’s tenure as coach of the Indian Team ended on a high much like his playing career. His last match was a World Cup Winning game against Sri Lanka. They won by 6 wickets and 10 balls to spare on 2 April 2011 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India.

8. He Was Coach of South Africa from 2011 to 2013

The South African team at The Oval in August 2008 – By PaddyBriggs –

On 5th June 2011, Gary Kirsten was appointed the full-time coach of the South Africa National Cricket Team. He signed a two-year contract with Cricket South Africa (CSA) which he did not renew after completion.

Kirsten took over from then interim coach Corrie van Zyl. In his tenure, Kirsten managed to lead team South Africa to number 1 in the ICC Test rankings. This came after an emphatic 2-0 win against England.

9. Kirsten Has Coached Several Cricket Clubs

Cricket Players by Lisa Scott from

In 2013, Kirsten stepped down as coach of South Africa citing family commitments as the reason. He proceeded to take a four-year break.

In 2017, he was appointed head coach of the Hobart Hurricanes cricket team. In January 2018, he was appointed the batting coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He remained at this post until August 2018 when they appointed him as their head coach. In January 2022, Kirsten was appointed batting coach on then-newly promoted Gujarat Titans.

10. He Started a Company Called Performance Zone

In 2007, Gary Kirsten teamed up with Dale Williams and Paddy Upton to form a company called Performance Zone. The aim or purpose of the company was to work with individuals and teams in business and sport, bringing out their clients’ best performance.

Paddy Upton is a cricket coach. He was appointed as mental conditioning coach of the Indian team when Kirsten took over.