Forget Kirsten factor - Moody

Kirsten: early arrival

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The arrival of coach-in-waiting Gary Kirsten will not be enough to lift India to victory in the third Test, according to former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody.

Kirsten is due to begin his full-time duties with the India team from March 1 but has joined the team in Perth to help motivate them ahead of the must-win Test, which gets under way on Wednesday. India trail 2-0 in the controversy-laden four-Test series.

But Western Australia coach Moody does not believe Kirsten will be able to have much effect.

Preparation

"The disadvantage for him (Kirsten) is that he is going halfway into the series," Moody told Mid-Day. "He can't do any preparation with the team.

"It's difficult to play Australia at home, particularly when India are 0-2 down. It is not an easy situation for the management or players.

"He may know the seniors in the group but does not know the players that well. It will not be fair to be judging Kirsten in the first match he takes over.

"Over time, he will build relationships with all members of the team and get an understanding of the characters and work with them."

Moody thinks the former South Africa batsman is the right man for the job provided he is given sufficient time to deliver results.

"Building and moulding a team takes time," he warned. "It takes months for a coach to do it and if he's given the required support and time, he will continue to improve the squad around him.

"Gary is highly respected and regarded as a cricketer and as a person. He has been a wonderful player; he's got all the experience at the top level.

"He has been coaching for some time in South Africa, so he has got good experience and pedigree."

Adapt

Moody, who guided Sri Lanka to the 2007 World Cup final, reckons Kirsten - as he did - will have to adapt his approach to a new culture when he takes his post.

"One of the things I was aware of before taking up the job (of Sri Lanka coach) was that you cannot coach different people from different environments in the same style; you need to adjust your coaching style," Moody added.

"I tried to understand the people, the culture and the different environment I was working in. That was something I was very aware of. The other thing is man-management and challenging players to raise their standards."