For little or no reason Gary Kirsten has got into the Test captaincy discussion, making the strangest statements about the incumbent, Anil Kumble’s future and supporting Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s candidature for the top job.

Quite rightly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has instructed him to refrain from commenting on matters that least concern him and which he cannot influence in his position as the coach of the Indian senior team. It is gradually becoming clear and embarrassing that as long as Indian cricket has foreign coaches, they would be tempted to have their say, especially on matters that are sensitive.

The only Indian who has coached a country’s national team at the highest level, and that too with remarkable success, is Sandeep Patil, the former India batsman. He had an assignment with Kenya and helped this country qualify for 2007 World Cup semi-finals. But the BCCI was only willing to consider him for the India A team as the coach. Sandeep can be playful off the field but is deadly serious on it. Had the BCCI been farsighted enough to carry on from 2007 and made Sandeep the deputy to Greg Chappell, when the Australian was India’s coach, a lot would have been gained.

But trust the BCCI to mess things up. There is this obsession with foreign coaches, because it does not want give the responsibility and the money to an Indian. Are there no competent Indians? When the South African Ford refused the offer to coach India, the BCCI should have got the message that after the Chappell fiasco, foreigners are not quite sure whether they can trust the BCCI or, for that matter, even the senior players. Kirsten got the job on the rebound and as far as one can see, is not totally comfortable.

Otherwise, what can explain his confusion on the sort of stand he should take on a highly sensitive issue like the Test captaincy. If he is attracted by Dhoni’s captaincy and his man management skills, fair enough, but why queer his pitch by talking about Kumble?

India’s highest wicket-taker, anyway, got the Test captaincy too late in his career and has done a fine job in difficult circumstances. It is unfortunate that he is finding wickets harder to obtain, but it happens to any bowler who has been around a long time. It will not be easy for Kirsten to get away by explaining to Kumble that he has either been misquoted or misinterpreted on the television interview that he gave. What was that about fools rushing in where angels fear to tread? Hope this is Kirsten’s last faux pas.