Kirsten is India?s coach, to be with team in Bangalore

It is official, former South African opening batsman Gary Kirsten has agreed to be the coach of the Indian cricket team from the 1st of March next year.

Kirsten said he would, however, be going with the Indian team to its tour of Australia starting later this month as a consultant with the team.

The newly-appointed coach will have his first interaction with the Indian team during the third Test against Pakistan starting in Bangalore on Saturday.

BCCI confirmed the appointment of Kirsten as India's coach and said the South African will visit Bangalore to spend a couple of days with the team.

It is official

"Gary will be spending a couple of days with the Indian team at Bangalore during the third Test match," BCCI said in a press release.

Kirsten will formally take over the charge from March next year and has been handed a tenure of two years.

"Kirsten has been appointed as the Coach of the Indian team for a period of two years starting from 1st March, 2008," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said in the release.

Kirsten will join the Indian team in Australia as consultant.

"Gary will be with the Indian team in Australia as a consultant for a couple of weeks probably after the second Test match," the release added.

Kirsten will take over the coaching reins almost a year after Australian Greg Chappell stepped down following India's devastating performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

As a batsman, Gary Kirsten often made up for his lack of fair with his level-headedness and he would require the same single-minded determination to succeed as the coach of the Indian cricket team.

Loads of proficiencyCape Town-born South African left-hander made his debut in the longer version of the game against Australia in 1993 and went on to play 101 Tests; scoring 7289 runs both of which were national records till Jacques Kallis eclipsed them.

Kirsten also played 185 ODIs and scored 6798 runs, his 188 not out against UAE in the 1996 World Cup is still the highest one day score by a South African.

His half-brother Peter Kirsten also played for South Africa.

Kirsten played his last ODI against Sri Lanka in 2003 and his final Test appearance was against New Zealand in 2004.

Post-retirement, he became a batting consultant for the Warriors and in 2006 he set up his own academy in Cape Town.