Gary Kirsten interested to take up England's Test coach position: Reports

Former South African opener Gary Kirsten is likely to be one of the contenders for the England Test head coach position, as newly-appointed director Rob Key gets in readiness to make his first move.

England are on a lookout for a new head coach, but unlike previous instances, this time, the Three Lions are likely to have separate coaches for Test and white-ball set-up.

While the final list of potential candidates and the official advertisement for the job is yet to be made public, Key has already singled out his favourite candidates for the head coach position.

Kirsten has been linked with the position in the past as well. In 2019, he lost out to Chris Silverwood, but according to English media reports, the former World Cup-winning coach is interested in taking up the challenge of reviving English red-ball fortunes.

Back in 2019, Kirsten was also wary about being away from his family for long periods, but those issues seem to have withered away, with the position being split.

Earlier this year, Key had this to say about Kirsten, “He probably would [be a good option as head coach]. He was obviously a decent player, and he’s got a lot of international cricket experience, so he’s used to that scrutiny, and he coached India to No 1 in the world with [captain] MS Dhoni.

“What you have to work out with these people at times is who was the real driver of that success that India had. Was it MS Dhoni, was it Gary Kirsten? Did Gary Kirsten just facilitate MSd everything that was great about MS Dhoni and all the decisions? That’s what you have to find out.” he added.

Kirsten rose to prominence as head coach when they led India to the No.1 position in Test cricket (2009) and the 2011 World Cup triumph.

He also coached the South African team at the start of the last decade, leading them to the No.1 spot in the longest format. The gritty Proteas opener is currently serving as batting coach for IPL franchise Gujarat Titans.