Kirsten joining India team for last two Tests in Australia

Melbourne, Dec 1 India's new cricket coach Gary Kirsten will be effectively taking over the job from March though he will lead the Indians to Australia later this month.

He, however, will leave them for the first two Tests owing to existing commitments in South Africa before rejoining the team for the final two Tests. India's interim coach, Lalchand Rajput, is tipped to coach the side in Kirsten's absence on the tour of Australia.

Speaking to the Australian daily The Age, the former South African opening batsman said he did not want to impose his ideas on the team and would like to help the players on the tour Down Under. "The last thing you want to do is come in and be a distraction, but I have spoken to Indian captain Anil Kumble about my situation, and he is comfortable with me joining the tour again later," Kirsten said. "I will not be coming in and imposing my ideas on them. That would be wrong. Instead, I will try and blend in and help any way I can.

Kirsten explained that he could not have taken up the job straightaway because of his commitments as the Indian cricket board approached him quite late. "The reality is that I was approached quite late by the Indian board, and in accepting the job, I told them that I had commitments over Christmas and New Year. But it looks like we are close to resolving that issue now, and I will join the team for the last two Tests."

On the surface, Kirsten seems an unusual appointment for the Indians. With no head-coaching experience at any level, but with a two-year stint as Cricket South Africa's high-performance-manager, he is still confident of making a positive impact in what is widely regarded as one of the most high-pressure jobs in international sport. "I take plenty of confidence from the fact they approached me, and obviously believe in what I can bring to the team," he said.

"Over time, I will look to put some new ideas to the players, but I will not be doing that midway through the tour of Australia. "It will be a transition period. There might be a bit of media around me leaving, but after speaking with Anil, we don't think it will be a distraction." The Indians will also feature a relatively new captain in Kumble, who is making his leadership debut in the current series against Pakistan.

With inputs from Sify.com