“I was so surprised” - When Gautam Gambhir hailed a legendary Australian fast bowler for his humility

Current India head coach Gautam Gambhir once mentioned how surprised he was by Mitchell Starc's humility and modest nature when the two worked with each other in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Gambhir was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who won the 2024 IPL, with Starc leading the way with 17 wickets in 13 matches. In an interview with Sportskeeda last year, the former Delhi batter said that it was quite easy to work with Starc.

"He's not just a very, very good bowler. He's not only a great achiever, but an even better human being. A world-class bowler does well in every condition, which is why it is hard for me to say what I like in him as a bowler - I like him overall as a bowler," said Gambhir.

"When we shared the dressing room in the IPL, I was so surprised by the humility he displayed, and the way he dealt with the youngsters. Mind you, he is such a successful cricketers who has played over a hundred Tests for Australia. I was surprised by how easy it was to work with him," he added.

You can see the video here:

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"For Mitchell Starc to get that kind of comparison from Wasim Akram himself is a great compliment" - Gautam Gambhir

In the same interview, when asked if Starc is as good as the legendary Wasim Akram was, Gambhir said that the comparison in itself is a compliment for the Australian speedster. Notably, Akram himself had made the comparison in an earlier interview.

"I have never played against Wasim bhai, but from the people I have spoken to and the people who have batted against him, I have heard that he was by far the greatest left-arm pacer the world has produced," Gambhir said.

"And now for Starc to get that kind of comparison from Wasim bhai himself is a great compliment for him. I think it is quite modest of Wasim bhai to compare himself with Starc, but I don't think anybody can be compared to Wasim Akram," he added.

Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid as India's head coach after the victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. He is currently under fire given that the Men in Blue have lost six out of the 10 Tests they have played so far during his tenure.

India most recently lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3 to Australia but will be desperate to win their fans over in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which will be, albeit, played in a different format and with a different ball.