Mohali: Indian coach Gary Kirsten on Tuesday dashed off a letter to the members of his team that was a mix of caution, praise and warning.
"All of you now have a role model in front of you and he is Sourav Ganguly," Kirsten wrote.
"He is a case worthy of emulation."
Ganguly scripted yet another fairytale saga to his career when he carved out a century against Australia in the second Test at Mohali, which was remarkable for more than one reason.
One, it was his first ton at home against the Australians. Two, he compiled it in his final series.
The turmoil of the past few weeks, when he was not even picked for Irani Trophy and then became a borderline selection in the Test squad, added a rare glitter to the career of this remarkable left-hander.
Kirsten's another remarkable instruction concerned master blaster Sachin Tendulkar.
"Tendulkar has avoided scrutiny in this series so far and that's the way it should remain. There is no Tendulkar-Lee match-up being discussed; there is no overt attention of the Australians on the little great man.
"Tendulkar remains the fulcrum of our batting and it is important he is allowed to carry on with his job without being bothered by off-field issues."
Tendulkar reached a new-high in his exceptional career, stroking 88 in India's first innings to edge past Brian Lara's record Test aggregate of 11,953 runs as well as the 12,000-Test-run mark. His half century was also the 50th of his career.
Lethal combination
Kirsten then lavished praise on the pace bowling duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, who have been lethal in the series so far. "I have never seen two more disciplined and committed Indian fast bowlers in my career. But the credit for their performance is due to bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad. 'Venky' has been a remarkable influence."
Finally, Kirsten had a word of warning for the Indians, basking in the glory of their astonishing win over the world champions in Mohali this week.
"When you burst crackers with your family in the comfort of your homes, keep this in mind that Australia, like a wounded tiger, are bound to strike back with vengeance. So there is a reason to be completely on guard."
