Gary Kirsten: News

In a South African cricket team that had flamboyant batsmen like Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, and Lance Klusener, there was another batsman at the top of the order who set the tone of the South African innings in the '90s and early 2000s. Unlike his peers, who were a pleasure to watch, Gary Kirsten was a meticulous, old-school batsman. Stoic in his nature and hardworking, Kirsten was the one who laid the foundation from which the famous South African middle-order of those days built their innings. In a career that lasted 101 Tests, he had an unquenchable thirst for runs. The fact that he holds the record for the second-longest Test innings ever played (878 minutes) is a testament to that. He had the most runs and centuries in Tests by a South African until Kallis broke that record. It wasn't in just Tests that Kirsten was a maverick. He holds the record for the highest score by a South African in ODIs (188*). After calling it quits from international cricket in 2004, Kirsten turned to coaching. His meticulous nature and calm demeanor made him a success in coaching as well. He led India to their second World Cup victory in 2011.