'Best coach we played under' - Yuvraj Singh sends out heartfelt birthday wishes to Gary Kirsten

Retired all-rounder Yuvraj Singh took to Twitter to wish former India coach Gary Kirsten on his 53th birthday today.

Posting an emotional picture of him and Kirsten sharing a warm hug after the World Cup 2011 triumph, Yuvraj wrote:

“Wishing a very Happy Birthday to @Gary_Kirsten - the best coach we played under! Someone who knew how to build a rock-solid team and bring out the best from each player on the park. Hope you're doing good and staying safe. Have a great year ahead! Thumbs up

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to @Gary_Kirsten - the best coach we played under! Someone who knew how to build a rock-solid team and bring out the best from each player on the park. Hope you're doing good and staying safe. Have a great year ahead! 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/NjeORhsmYy

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) November 23, 2020

Gary Kirsten had a highly fruitful tenure as Team India coach which culminated with the side lifting the World Cup trophy after 28 years. While the Indian team was led by MS Dhoni, Yuvraj came up with a stellar all-round show - 362 runs and 15 wickets, at averages of 90.50 with the bat and 25.13 with the ball.

Apart from being the coach when India won the 2011 World Cup, Gary Kirsten was also part of the Team India set-up when they rose to the number one ranking in Tests in 2009 on the back of some stupendous performances at home.

The former South African left-hander’s calm demeanour and international experience resulted in him forging an unforgettable association with the Indian team.

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Gary Kirsten: A legend of South African cricket

Before turning to coaching, Gary Kirsten was one of the finest batsmen in international cricket in the 90s and the early 2000s.

Having made his debut in 1993, he went on to play 101 Tests and 185 ODIs for South Africa, scoring 7289 and 6798 runs respectively. Gary Kirsten averaged a healthy 45.27 in Tests and 40.95 in ODIs, and formed a memorable association with Herschelle Gibbs in both formats of the game.

Kirsten’s 275 against England at Durban in 1999 was the joint-highest individual Test score by a South African at one point of time. His 188 not out in the 1996 World Cup against UAE at Rawalpindi was the highest individual score in cricket's premier tournament until Chris Gayle smashed a record double hundred in the 2015 World Cup against Zimbabwe.