Chris Gayle is the best batting exponent when it comes to the shorter format of the game and almost single-handedly batted Australia out of the semi-finals in the ICC T20 World Cup. No other batsman can perhaps hit the cricketing ball harder and anything that comes out of the middle of his willow gets disappeared in the crowd.
Gayle already claimed that West Indies will win the Sunday’s final, and provided if he gets going, that very well might be the end result.
It was not very long that the Jamaican was at loggerhead with the West Indies Cricket Board and did not feature in the national side. But that did not write him off and his performances across the domestic leagues across the World brought into the reckoning. His knack at winning matches single-handedly could not be ignored for long and once he buried the hatchet with the Windies Cricket Board, his inclusion was just a formality.
Since he has made his national team comeback, he has been in good form and has raised the bar in the tournament. He has already scored 219 runs in the world cup at an average of 55 and even though Mahela Jayawerdene has started the mind game saying that Gayle is just another player, deep down inside even he knows Gayle stand between Sri Lanka and the trophy.
Gayle has changed his approach and now has realised that if he can carry his bat throughout the innings, than he can be more destructive than just hitting few lusty blows at the top of the innings and loose his wicket in a hasty manner.
Gayle is an epitome of élan and the way he plays, he has won the heart of millions of fans across the globe. He is one the most dynamic batsmen in the world and the smile that he carries is very infectious.
He is respected and loved by his team-mates and opponents alike and it because of his larger than life character. When he is playing one can see the kind of confidence he will be oozing. He always looks focused and an example to that is the way he played in the last match.
He was involved in a controversy with few of his female friends getting arrested from his hotel room ahead of the semi-final clash. It would have been normal for him had he seem disoriented in the match due to the incident, but then he was in his usual self in the match, taking bowlers to the cleaners.
He can shift his focus onto the game very quick and it has been seen in the past. In the last match, during his onslaught against Australia, he was dancing between deliveries, and yet while facing a delivery, he never seemed to lose his focus.
Gayle’s huge frame is enough to intimidate any bowler and seeing him take guard at the crease can make captain rework their strategies over and over again. He is not like other big hitters and has carved a niche for himself with his playing style. He will just not swing wildly and treats bowling on merit. And the once he middles a ball with his mighty willow, no ground can contain him.
By Samikshan Dutaa Choudhury
Indian Sports News Network
