Nagpur: The iconic Sunil Gavaskar, who played a significant role in Gary Kirsten’s appointment as the Team India coach, spoke to The Telegraph exclusively about the quiet impact-maker who is about to end his innings.

The following are excerpts

Q An email from you, as a ‘selector’, initiated the process of Kirsten’s appointment... What made you write to him?

A Gary had been on the selection panel for the ICC teams of the year, in 2007, and I’d been impressed with the way he came through during our discussions... I found him level-headed, was impressed with the way he applied himself to the task and, generally, I liked the way he talked cricket.

He’d himself been an outstanding batsman (7,289 runs in Tests, with 21 hundreds; 6,798 runs in ODIs, with 13 hundreds)...

Yes, I was aware of that... Gary was one cricketer who’d worked very hard at his game... Day by day, he became better... He’d put in much thought into his game and I felt he’d be the right choice to coach India.

Kirsten had begun coaching, in Cape Town, at the grassroots level. Did that count for anything?

Look, it’s not easy for an accomplished cricketer to coach kids, but Gary had begun doing so and, yes, that’s something I’d noted.

After what had happened during Greg Chappell’s tenure (May 2005-April 2007), were you at any time wary of again having a foreigner on board?

Not really... Greg and Gary’s personalities are, after all, very different... While the Australians and South Africans have much in common with their approach to the game, Gary never came across as being overly aggressive. That, I thought, would work well.

Is the profile of a coach or to-be-coach important?

I’d imagine it makes a difference, but the man sitting next to me (points to Sourav Ganguly) would probably be able to tell you a lot more! During our time, there were no coaches, just managers... You’d certainly listen to somebody who has played the game at the highest level and achieved a fair amount of success.

What’s most important for a coach?

That he has good communication skills.

Kirsten, one assumes, gave a very good account of himself in the interview conducted in New Delhi...

Gary was very clear in his thinking before the panel.

Is there something you recall about the interview?

Yes... Anil Kumble, the Test captain at that point in time, had a one-on-one with Gary while we’d been waiting for Mr (Sharad) Pawar to come from Parliament.

How long did their meeting last?

About an hour and, at the end of it, Anil came out flashing a thumbs-up. That helped us make up our minds... The signal from the captain that he was comfortable made a huge difference... It was clear that both had hit it off and that we’d be moving forward on the right track.

What did you make of Kirsten once he actually began working with the Sachin Tendulkars, three years ago?

The view from the outside was that Gary was very thorough with the preparations.

Since then...

Well, Gary has brought a sense of calm to Indian cricket... As we know, there was a fair bit of turmoil after the 2007 World Cup... Here, I’d like to add that the interim cricket manager, Chandu Borde, also played his part in getting the team to settle down.

Aren’t you disappointed that Kirsten won’t be staying on after the World Cup?

But he has a young family and it’s understandable that he wishes to be at home when his sons are growing up... For him, family is now priority... It would’ve been great if Gary could have stayed on for another two years, but that’s not going to happen.

What’s going to be the Kirsten legacy?

He’ll be leaving behind a nice platform for his successor to build on.

In your view, what are the qualities his successor should have?

Pretty much the same as possessed by Gary... Obviously, he’s got to have good communication skills.

Finally, do you have anybody in mind?

Haven’t thought about it.