When he played cricket, Brett Lee was known for bowling thunderbolts, consistently clocking over 140-plus km/h. But off it, the former Aussie speedster is far more affable and hospitable: “Namaste, kaise hai (hello, how are you)?” he begins the interview with folded hands and a disarming smile.
Lee says he’s picked up a smattering of Hindi from his regular visits to India, “my second home”, and going by its frequent use, “aaram se” could very well be his favourite. He spouts the phrase liberally–whether to ask the kitchen staff at a restaurant to go easy on the noisy mixie during a video shoot, or to answer how Indians should deal with Virat Kohli’s dip in form (the interview happened before the India-Afghanistan match in Asia Cup). “Be patient with him, this guy is gold,” he says.