Star Australian national cricket team left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has spoken about his experience working with Indian national cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Gambhir and Starc shared a dressing room in the Indian Premier League 2024, where he was serving as a mentor for the franchise as he switched base to Kolkata Knight Riders after a two-year spell with Lucknow Super Giants.
Gautam Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 Crore.
Mitchell Starc has put his name in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction after being absent from the tournament for several years. He was expected to fetch a huge amount of money and was in huge demand at auction.
Several franchises were involved in a bidding war to acquire the services of Mitchell Starc, but it was Gautam Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders who ultimately bought the Australian pacer for a historic INR 24.75 crore, making Starc the most expensive player in history. of competition.
Starc failed to repay the franchise’s faith in him as his bowling was quite poor in the group stage. However, he received continued support from the team management and produced a remarkable performance in the knockout to help KKR secure their third title in the Indian Premier League.
In 14 matches, Mitchell Starc has taken 17 wickets at an average of 26.12, economy of 10.61 and strike rate of 14.76.
I mean, from my experience in Kolkata, he is a fantastic thinker about the game – Mitchell Starc on Gautam Gambhir
Starc recently shared his experience of playing under Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders. He said Gambhir is a fantastic thinker about the game and is actively involved in planning.
“What I mean is, based on my experience in Kolkata, he is a fantastic thinker about the game,” Starc told Star Sports. “He is always thinking about the opposition and how to get them out with his bowling attack or how to score runs with his batting attack.”
Gambhir will be coaching the Indian team for the first time during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and the Mitchell Starc-led Australian bowling unit will pose a major threat to the visitors.
It’s about always focusing on the team, not just the individual player – Mitchell Starc
Starc also said that Gambhir always keeps the team ahead of individuals and focuses on the little things to help the team reach the top.
“It’s not just about individual players, it’s always about focusing on the team and how you can overcome the little things you see in technique or field placement or anything like that,” the left-arm bowler said.
The Australian star added that he enjoyed his time with Gambhir at KKR and revealed that the India legend has some masterplans for him, especially in T20 cricket.
“The nine weeks I spent with him were fantastic. In the T20 setup, I know he has good points,” Starc concluded in the interview.
