ICC World Cup 2019: Ross Taylor Wants to Take a Leaf Out of Chris Gayle's Book

New Zealand gun batsman Ross Taylor wants to emulate Windies star batsman Chris Gayle. Taylor who scored a fine knock of 71 runs in the warm-up match against India, wants to keep his doors open for the next World Cup 2023, which will take place in India. Chris Gayle is 39 years whereas Ross Taylor is 35 and the right-hander sees himself playing the next ODI showpiece if he keeps his fitness right.

Meanwhile, Ross Taylor has been one of the most consistent New Zealand batsmen. Taylor has scored 20 ODI centuries, which is the most for any Kiwi batter. Hence, the talisman right-hander will like to keep up his good form going in the quadrennial event.

Ross Taylor will need to maintain his fitness.

“I’m 35 but you never really know what’s to come. Chris Gayle is probably an inspiration – he’s 39 in this World Cup and I’m 39 at the next, so it’s not a simple matter,” Taylor said.

Meanwhile, Ross Taylor wants to enjoy the upcoming World Cup. The right-hander is aware that the pressure is a norm in the big tournament but he wants to keep the calm in the crunch situations.

“My approach to the World Cup is not necessarily a mindset of going out there just to enjoy it,” Taylor told the ICC website.

“You always put a lot of pressure on yourself in big tournaments – pressure comes with it whether you think about it or not, so it’s about managing those moments.”

Ross Taylor believes it is crucial to pace oneself in the big tournament like the World Cup. There is a good break between the two matches of one particular team, thus it is pivotal to rest and train accordingly.

“I think you have to pace yourself in a tournament like this, it’s a long time and the way our schedule is, there are a lot of games at the start and a bit of a break in the middle,” he said.

“The way you rest and train between games is going to be very important.

“It’s going to be a lot tougher … making the final four years ago we played a lot of games at home and we knew our conditions very well”.

New Zealand had a perfect start to their World Cup preparation as they beat India by six wickets. The Kiwis will play their second warm-up match against West Indies at County Ground, Bristol on 28th May. Hence, Ross Taylor will have the chance of playing against Chris Gayle. New Zealand will begin their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on June 1.