Most of the Indian batsmen have not exactly been consistent during the ongoing IPL, but West Indies swashbuckler Chris Gayle feels that they have enough firepower to unsettle opposing teams during the coming Champions Trophy.
Virat Kohli (308 runs), Kedar Jadhav (267) and Yuvraj Singh (243) — the trio, who are set to form an integral part of the Indian middle-order — have not had a great T20 league.
But Gayle feels it will have no bearing on the Champions Trophy. “The good thing about T20 cricket is that it’s a very quick format compared to ODI cricket, where you can give yourself a chance to bat a bit longer. It gives you more time to get set. With IPL pushed aside now, they (Kohli, Jadhav and Yuvraj) will have enough time to regroup,” Gayle said.“
Gayle wants to play another World Cup
If the Indian top-order batsmen get set, we all know how dangerous they can be. We all look forward to that. Forget about the current IPL form, all of them are match-winners.
“Everybody will be eager to become a standout man to win the tournament for their team. They will be hungry to prove a point,” Gayle sounded upbeat about India’s chances, terming Pakistan as another team to watch out for.
But Gayle also had a word of caution for the Indian team about the fickle English weather (Birmingham and London), which can change the conditions.
“I am not a ‘Weather Man’ to tell you about the sort of climate you will get but the little experience that I have had playing cricket in England over the years, you can get five different kinds of weather conditions in a single day.“It can get very, very tricky. Weather will play a huge role in places like Birmingham,” said Gayle, who is currently promoting alternate fashion brand ATTITUDE.COM.
Talking about Kohli, Gayle was a bit empathetic considering the kind of pressure he was in during RCB’s wretched campaign.“You feel for Virat when he has to put forth his views at post-match presentations when the team loses so consistently. You can see he is at a loss for words. What reason can he give match after match?” he asked.
“But then he knows that he is the leader of the pack. But when a team loses, we are all in it. All I can say is that we would like to put up a far better show next time round,” the self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ said.
Gayle also spoke about how the Chinnaswamy Stadium track also became a major factor in the outcome.“Yes, it was a factor. The Chinnaswamy track was relaid and the drainage system became better. It soaked all the water and the pitch became dry. Chinnaswamy was a traditionally 180-plus wicket. But, now, 140 has become a winning score,” Gayle said.
Comments
SHARE