“Fantastic Thinker”: Gautam Gambhir Earns Rich Praise From Australia Star Ahead Of Border Gavaskar Trophy

Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has lauded Gautam Gambhir’s tactical acumen, saying the India coach is a fantastic thinker of the game who priortises the team’s need and seeks to gain advantage through adjustments in techniques and field placements. As a player, Starc worked with Gambhir, who was Kolkata Knight Riders’ team mentor, earlier this year during the Indian Premier League.

Under Gambhir’s tutelage KKR enjoyed one of its most dominant seasons and went on to win 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 roped in Starc for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore earlier this year, making him the most expensive buy in the tournament’s history. He didn’t have a good league stage but 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,” the Australian pacer said.

The two will be on the opposite ends as hosts Australia will take on Gambhir’s India in the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting in Perth next month.