'From my experience at KKR...': Mitchell Starc exposes Gautam Gambhir’s true colors

The star Australia National Cricket Team left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc spoke about the experience of working with the India National Cricket Team head coach, Gautam Gambhir, at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Gambhir and Starc shared the dressing room in the Indian Premier League 2024 when the former was serving as the mentor of the franchise, having switched bases to Kolkata Knight Riders following his two-year stint with Lucknow Super Giants.

Gautam Gambhir's Kolkata Knight Riders Roped In Mitchell Starc For INR 24.75 Crore

Mitchell Starc had put his name in the Indian Premier League 2024 auction after skipping the tournament for several years. He was expected to go for a hefty sum and was in huge demand at the auction.

Several franchises were engaged in a bidding war to acquire the services of Mitchell Starc, but in the end, it was Gautam Gambhir's Kolkata Knight Riders that bought the Australian pacer for a historic INR 24.75 crore, which made Starc the most expensive player in the history of the competition.

Starc failed to repay the faith of the franchise in the group stage as he bowled quite poorly. However, he was continuously backed by the team management and he delivered sensational performances in the knockouts to help KKR secure their third title in the Indian Premier League.

In 14 matches, Mitchell Starc picked up 17 wickets at an average of 26.12, an economy of 10.61, and a strike rate of 14.76.

I mean, speaking from my experience at Kolkata, he is a fantastic thinker of the game - Mitchell Starc on Gautam Gambhir

Starc recently shared his experience of playing under Gambhir at Kolkata Knight Riders. He said that Gambhir is a fantastic thinker of the game and he is actively engaged in planning.

“I mean, speaking from my experience at Kolkata, he is a fantastic thinker of the game,” said Starc speaking to Star Sports. “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.”

Gambhir will coach Team India for the first time down under during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, and the Mitchell Starc-led Australia bowling unit will pose a big threat to the visitors.

It's not just individual players, it's always about the team focus - Mitchell Starc

Starc further stated that Gambhir always keeps the team over the individuals and focuses on small things to help his team get on top.

“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 the left-arm bowler.

The Australian star added that he had a great time with Gambhir at KKR and revealed that the India legend has got some masterplans, especially in T20 cricket.

“The nine weeks that I spent with him were fantastic. In a T20 setup, I know that he's got some good things,” concluded Starc in the interview.