New Delhi [India], August 7 : Former India head coach Gary Kirsten was pleased about the success Gautam Gambhir and his troops achieved in England during the riveting inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
On the final day of the fifth Test at The Oval, the match went right down to the wire. In the battle of nerves and steel, the equation was as clear as daylight. England stood 35 runs short of gunning down the 374-run target, while India had to hunt four wickets to end the series at 2-2 in London.
With the odds stacked against India, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna pulled the strings to bring England's downfall. With Chris Woakes fighting with a broken shoulder at the other end, Gus Atkinson brought the equation down to seven required with one wicket in hand. Siraj's angling yorker crashed into Atkinson's off-stump and sealed a 2-2 series leveller for India.
Siraj, on cloud nine, sprinted animatedly and pulled his usual 'Sui' celebration and was soon swamped by his compatriots. Gambhir embraced assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate with a passionate hug, and the rest of the crew swiftly joined the celebrations.
Gambhir saw a bowling coach, Morne Morkel, and the duo warmly embraced each other. The towering South African lifted Gambhir in the air, and the Indian roared in delight. He went to the field, hugged his captain, Shubman Gill, and the rest of the players as the entire team took a victory lap at The Oval.
"I'm very excited that India won the series; I mean, levelled the series. And it's great for Indian cricket, and I'm really pleased for Gautam Gambhir as well. He's well known, and I've worked with him a lot, and I'm just pleased for what he's achieved with the team," Kirsten said while speaking to reporters.
The former South African cricketer, who was at the helm during the nation's 2011 World Cup win, emphasised that India has a strong sporting culture and said, "I think India has a strong sports culture as well. Every country does it one way or another."
"I think my love for India is to see the development of young people in the holistic development of them. So we know that education is really strong in India, and that's something that, as South Africans, we can learn from," he added.