Former South African batsman Gary Kirsten has decided to delay his decision about taking over as India's next cricket coach following reports that senior players are unhappy about his appointment.
The South African, who was scheduled to convey his willingness to the Board of Control for Cricket in India by Monday, said he decided to delay his decision following reports that the senior players in the Indian team had an issue with his appointment.
"I have heard the rumours about some senior players expressing their concern about my possible appointment and I would prefer to have clarity on that before I commit myself to the job," Kirsten was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
Earlier, reports claimed some of the senior members of the Indian team were not happy with Kirsten's appointment as they felt that the current set-up with manager Lalchand Rajput, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh had delivered the goods.
Meanwhile, thought he did not opt out of the job, Kirsten said he wanted to speak to some of the players before taking a final decision.
After his interview in New Delhi on Monday, Kirsten met India captain Anil Kumble and found him supportive. Kirsten said he needed to find out if the players' concern was about him as a person or the process by which he was picked for the job.
