Harbhajan Singh Urges Gary Kirsten to Quit Pakistan Role and Return to Team India

Former Indian off-spinner and the 2011 World Cup winner, Harbhajan Singh, has publicly asked his friend and the former Indian coach, Gary Kirsten, to quit the post as the head coach of the Pakistan men's cricket team. In a hard-hitting post on social networking site X, Harbhajan suggested he'd prefer to see Kirsten working with Team India, than "waste time" with Pakistan cricket. 

Harbhajan's comments came on the back of reports from the media in Pakistan that claimed Kirsten was unhappy with the disunity of the Pakistan team in their dressing room. Kirsten, the South African coach, was said to have expressed his frustration with the team and that it had proven difficult to coach a team "where the players are separated, left and right."

On social media, Harbhajan said, "Don't waste ur time there, Gary. Come back to coach Team INDIA. Gary Kirsten, one of the rare gems, is a great coach, mentor for everyone in the 2011 team. Our winning coach of the 2011 World Cup. Special man, Gary."

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Harbhajan Singh wants Gary Kirsten back with Team India

Pakistan's early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, after being eliminated by the groups, as the preliminary round is called, has put both players and management under the microscope. The tournament marked Kirsten's first major assignment with Babar Azam and his men since he was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in early May.

In a reported quote from Kirsten by Pakistani journalists, the coach said, "There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; they are working as individuals. I have been with teams, but as a coach, I haven’t seen that."

Kirsten's legacy of Indian cricket, on the other hand, has been golden. Under his watch, India won the 2011 World Cup, concluding a 28-year drought of a major ICC trophy, and reached the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket for a period of time. Before embracing the Pakistan role, Kirsten concluded his duties during the IPL as the mentor of the Gujarat Titans.

Harbhajan making the call so openly recognizes there is still a lot of respect and admiration Indian players possess for the man who helped shape arguably one of India's greatest triumphs on the cricket field.