Kirsten past v Kirsten now

Having coached one team to the World Cup title, Gary Kirsten is now helping plot another nation's bid for the coveted prize -- and the two will meet when India take on South Africa on Sunday.

Kirsten, the former South African opening batsman, was India's coach when Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men won the World Cup in Mumbai four years ago.

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He left the job immediately after the tournament to take over as South Africa's coach, serving the Proteas for two years before handing the baton to his deputy Russell Domingo.

The 47-year-old is now back with AB de Villiers's side as a consultant for a part of the World Cup and joined the squad on Wednesday after returning from the players' auction in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he coaches the Delhi Daredevils franchise.

Kirsten will be on hand to watch the two sides meet at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday in a key Pool B match which will almost certainly assure the winner a place in the quarter-finals.

Domingo said he was happy to have Kirsten around, even if only on a temporary basis.

"Gary is an experienced coach, he has been with the side for a long period of time," Domingo said on Thursday.

"He has a certain number of days with us for important stages of the event where we think he can offer us a lot of input and advice.

"Just having his presence around is a big source of inspiration and motivation for the team."

Both teams won their opening games, with India thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan by 76 runs in Adelaide and South Africa beating neighbours Zimbabwe by 62 runs in Hamilton.

South Africa have never won the World Cup, despite being one of the most powerful sides in modern-day cricket, and Kirsten's input will be vital as the Proteas seek to ditch their unwanted tag of "chokers".

“I'm desperately hoping that we win the World Cup this year," Kirsten told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper as he vowed sentiment would play no part in his approach to Sunday's match.