“He is a fantastic thinker of the game” – Mitchell Starc hails Team India coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Australia’s gun fast bowler Mitchell Starc has showered praise on Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Starc played under Gambhir’s mentorship for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024 and played a key role in taking the team to glory.

Meanwhile, Starc was roped in a whooping amount of INR 24.75 crores in the IPL 2024 mini auction but he proved to be expensive throughout the season. The Australian scalped 17 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 26.11 and a high economy rate of 10.61.

On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir has taken over as India’s head coach after Rahul Dravid’s tenure. Gambhir is known for his aggressive approach and he will look to get the best out of his players.

“I mean, 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. 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,” said Starc on Star Sports.

“The nine weeks that I spent with him were fantastic. In a T20 setup, I know that he’s got some good things.”

Meanwhile, Gambhir celebrated his 43rd birthday on Monday. 

Recently, India defeated Bangladesh by 2-0 in the Test series and then bested the Tigers by 3-0 under Gambhir’s tutelage. India will next take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series, starting October 16.