Starc worked with Gambhir at KKR during the IPL 2024 season.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has acknowledged Gautam Gambhir’s tactical acumen, saying that the India coach is a fantastic thinker of the game who prioritizes the team’s need and aims to gain advantage through adjustments in techniques and field placements.
Notably, Starc got the chance to work with Gambhir, who served the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a team mentor during the IPL 2024 season.
Under Gambhir’s mentorship, KKR enjoyed one of its most dominant IPL seasons and went on to clinch the title after a gap of 10 years.
“Speaking from my experience at Kolkata, he is a fantastic thinker of the game. He’s always thinking about the opponent and how to get them out as a bowling attack or how to score runs as a batting attack,” Starc said on Star Sports.
“It’s not just individual players it’s always about the team focus and how to get on top of little things that he might see in techniques or in a field placement or anything like that,” he added.
KKR had signed Starc for a staggering sum of INR 24.75 during the last IPL auction, making him the most expensive buy in the tournament’s history. While he failed to leave a big mark in the league stage, the left-arm quick rose to the occasion with match-winning spells during the knockouts.
“The nine weeks that I spent with him were fantastic. In a T20 setup, I know that he’s got some good things,” Starc further stated in praise of Gambhir.
The two will be at loggerheads next month as Australia will host India in a five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy.
(With PTI Inputs)