The former Australia pacer Brett Lee has appreciated the new India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his on-field aggression and awareness, which will be beneficial for the Indian team in the future. The BCCI recently announced the former India opener as the new head coach replacing Rahul Dravid.
Gambhir has enjoyed recent success with the Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2024 season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where his mentorship helped the franchise earn their third title in the tournament.
In a recent interview, the retired Australia fast bowler Brett Lee praised Gambhir’s appointment, besides touching on the captaincy of Rohit Sharma and the match-winning catch of Suryakumar Yadav during the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
‘India played the perfect style of cricket in the T20 World Cup’- Brett Lee
Gambhir wasn’t present with the Indian team during their five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. However, he will be part of the blue brigade during the upcoming T20I and ODI series in Sri Lanka, starting on July 27.
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‘He has done a terrific job every time he’s had an opportunity. The Indian Premier League title with KKR is the best example. He’s always been there, always at the top of his game. He finds a way to unite his players and graft his team together.’ The former Kolkata Knight Riders bowler Brett Lee expressed during an exclusive interview with ‘Time of India’. ‘He builds a solid structure. He has been a terrific player, and his aggression and winning attitude will help India. India is in safe hands with Gautam Gambhir as coach.’
India ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy by winning the last T20 World Cup, where Rohit Sharma led the team from the front, not only with the leadership hat but also with the bat in hand.
Lee looks back at the captaincy of Rohit and feels that the blue brigade played the ‘perfect style’ of cricket in that event, as they looked quite balanced and a very strong side.
‘Big, big congratulations to India. Firstly, it was really good to see them and the emotion on the faces of those cricketers. Virat and Rohit have moved on from the game.’ Lee noted in the interaction. ‘There were players from the Australian cricket team who also hung up their boots. One thing I will say is that India played the perfect style of cricket in the T20 World Cup. They looked quite a strong side, to be very honest.’
When asked about the match-winning moment- the catch of Suryakumar Yadav to dismiss David Miller, the former bowler addressed that as a ‘title-winning catch’.
The veteran is 47 at the moment and still was quite fit as he featured in the recently concluded Legends game in England. He shares his suggestion for maintaining fitness.
‘Just moderation and eating well. I did a lot of training while I was in India for two and a half months.’ Brett Lee continued. ‘I trained every single day. I follow proper routines, focusing on exercise and diet plans. That’s it. I am having fun doing it. As a fast bowler, it’s important to maintain your fitness.’
He refused to make a statement on whether India should travel to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. But, he put light on whether Australia made a mistake by going with Mitchell Marsh as the T20I captain for the World Cup 2024, instead of Pat Cummins.
‘It’s not a matter of what went wrong; it’s about Australia improving and continuing to improve. You can’t win every single game of cricket. They tried their hardest and had a very good squad. They’ve played some really decent cricket in the past.’ The Wollongong-born Brett Lee concluded. ‘Mitchell Marsh was given the opportunity, and he wanted to grab it with both hands. Pat Cummins has done a terrific job. It’s hard being a captain; it’s not easy.’