Kirsten to miss Third Test
2008-08-05 12:01
New Delhi - India's cricket team will be without its coach Gary Kirsten for the third and deciding Test match against Sri Lanka starting Friday after the South African was granted leave to return home to be with his sick mother.
"Kirsten has been granted leave to go to South Africa to be with his mother as she is very ill," Board of Control for Cricket in India's secretary Niranjan Shah said on Tuesday.
India and Sri Lanka are tied 1-1 going into the third and final Test at Colombo.
Kirsten worked with the Indian team as a consultant during the last two tests of its tour of Australia this year before taking the assignment as coach on a two year contract starting in March.
His first test series as official India coach was against South Africa in March-April, which was drawn 1-1.
- SAPA