Bowlers Are Intimidated Even A Week Before They Face Me, I Give Them Sleepless Nights - Chris Gayle Talks About The Fear In The Minds Of Bowlers
Published - 25 Apr 2021, 02:09 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:44 AM
Even at the age of 41, Chris Gayle’s ball-muscling is amongst the best in the world and hasn’t declined with age – if anything, he has only got more mature in aspects of building the innings and respecting the match-ups and the game situations.
It has been a work of smashing the bowlers for over 20 years in the international arena; Chris Gayle is the pioneer of T20 cricket – the ‘Universe Boss’ is arguably the greatest short-format batsman to walk on the planet, only his compatriot and West Indies captain, Kieron Pollard can challenge the left-hander to that throne.
Chris Gayle, who has intimidated even the best of the bowlers, now bats at number 3, not just for Punjab Kings in the IPL, but for West Indies as well – indicating his adaptability and character of taking added responsibility.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, the Jamaican lauds himself – typical Chris Gayle – about his fear-inducing effect on the bowlers.
“Bowlers are always intimidated, from the night or even the week before when they know they’ll be up against Chris Gayle! That’s the fear I strike into them. If a bowler comes and says that I’m lying it’s actually them who lie!
“Trust me! It happens over and over – sleepless nights, team meetings when they discuss just one person for two hours! That’s the impact I have on the game, so you do the math,” Chris Gayle told Hindustan Times.
To lift the World Cup, we’ll give our best shot: Chris Gayle
Ahead of the IPL 2021, the southpaw made his return to the West Indies team again in the T20 series against Sri Lanka as the T20 World Cup approaches this year in India. Chris Gayle was part of the West Indies’ teams that won the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup, and he wishes to make a hat-trick of it.
The West Indies, led by Kieron Pollard, had been bolstered by the return of both Gayle and Dwayne Bravo; Andre Russell and Sunil Narine are yet to make a comeback to the national side. With youngsters like Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Fabian Allen to add spring to the side, West Indies will be looking for their third T20 title.
“It will mean a lot to me (to win the T20 World Cup). Maybe I’ll be the first person over 40 to win the World Cup three times. It will be a triple for me – something huge and fantastic. To lift the World Cup, we’ll give (it) our best shot.
“We have the players to do that. It’s going to be in India as well. It’s something we’re all looking forward to and are very excited about. To make history again – it will be fantastic,” Gayle asserted.
