Gary Kirsten said in Johannesburg on Tuesday that he had accepted the BCCI’s offer to become the coach of the Indian cricket team. Kirsten, 40, will start his assignment by joining the team as a consultant on its tour of Australia starting later this month.

The former South African opener said his two-year contract would commence from March 1. The BCCI is set to publicise the appointment on Wednesday, two days after the deadline they had set to make the announcement.

A top board official, on condition of anonymity, told the Hindustan Times on Tuesday that the confusion between the board and Kirsten was sorted out. “It’s just a matter of making it official,” he said. “It will be made official on Wednesday.”

Kirsten, who met the BCCI special committee for appointing the coach last week, had agreed to communicate his final decision by Monday. However, there were reports suggesting that some senior Indian players were unhappy about being kept in the dark about the choice of coach. Kirsten, apprehensive initially about this, has now made up his mind.