'Gautam Gambhir is a brilliant captain, a born leader '

Kolkata Knight Riders' Australian pacer Brett Lee on Monday said his IPL skipper Gautam Gambhir is one of the most brilliant captains he has played under as the Indian backs up good leadership with strong personal performances. 

"Gambhir is just brilliant. He is a born leader and it comes naturally to him. Besides he backs it up with strong performances and has been leading our flock really well," Lee said on the sidelines of the launch of a music academy for underprivileged and autistic kids.

Lee had similar words of praise for his national captain Michael Clarke and said that it won't be too long before Australia regains the number one spot after a roller-coaster transition phase. 

"With Michael Clarke around, it has all been going really well for Australia. He has himself performed exceptionally well and the team is going from strength to strength under him," said Lee, who retired from Tests in 2010 but continues to be a part of Australia's ODI and Twenty20 set-up. 

"The recent Test series against the West Indies was a good sign and we should be there (at the top) pretty soon," he said.

Speaking about other issues in Australian cricket, especially about the speculation over the future of former captain Ricky Ponting, Lee said, "Ricky has been an absolute legend of the game." 

"He deserves to go only when he feels that the time is right," he added.