When MS Dhoni cancelled a team event for Gary Kirsten

XtraTime Web Desk: The secret of a successful team depends upon the bonding and loyalty the members shared within the team. The Indian team under MS Dhoni had both in abundance. The former India captain shared a great rapport with Gary Kirsten, who was the coach of the Indian team. The duo took the Indian team to great heights, winning the 2011 World Cup and also taking the team to the pinnacle of test cricket. Recently during a chat show on You Tube, Kirsten admitted he was impressed about Dhoni’s qualities as a leader.

“One of the most impressive people I have met, he is a great leader of people, he’s got incredible presence as a leader, but the most important thing is that he is loyal,” Kirsten said about Dhoni on The RK Show on YouTube.

The former South African opener also recalled an incident where Dhoni showed his loyalty towards him and couple of other support staffs who were also from his country. The two times World Cup winning captain cancelled the team event as Gary and other South African support staffs were not allowed an entry for an event in a flight school in Bangalore.
“I’ll never forget, just before the World Cup, we were invited in Bangalore to go to the flight school, to go and kind of have a look at that.

“Obviously, we had a couple of foreigners in our support staff, and we got word back on the morning before the whole team was meant to go – and everyone was looking forward to the event – that the three South Africans, which were myself, Paddy Upton and Eric Simmons, weren’t going to be allowed into the flight school because it was seen as a potential security risk.

“So MS (Dhoni) cancelled off the whole event. He just said, ‘These are my people. If they’re not allowed in, none of us are going’. And that was what he was about.”

“He was very loyal, to me, and I think he saw as well, there were times when we didn’t always win games and we’d have some tough times. We’d spend a lot of time, just one on one together, talking through, taking the team forward. I think we built a strong relationship in the three years we had together,” Kirsten added.