Forget about current IPL form, all Indian players are match winners, says Chris Gayle
Indian batsmen have not been impressive during the whole IPL season, but West Indies star player Chris Gayle feels this form won’t affect them in the ICC Champions Trophy. India’s leading batsmen Virat Kohli has scored 308 runs while Yuvraj Singh has managed 243. Both of them are crucial to India’s plans in England and Wales and Gayle feels they will not be affected at Champions Trophy by their lack of firepower in the rich-league.
“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) will have enough time to regroup,” Gayle said.
“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 added.
But Gayle also advised the Indian team to be aware of the fickle weather in 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 little experience that I have had playing cricket in England over the years, you can get five different kind 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. India are scheduled to play Pakistan at Edgbaston (Birmingham), Sri Lanka and South Africa at The Oval (London).
Gayle showed empathy for Kohli as he could understand Kohli’s pressure situation throughout the tournament. Royal Challengers Bangalore, captained by Kohli, finished bottom of the IPL pyramid – a year after finishing second best. “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 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,” he said.
Gayle also spoke about the Chinnaswamy Stadium track of how it was the main factor in the process. “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. Now, Chinnaswamy is a traditionally 180-plus wicket where 140 became a winning score,” Gayle said.
On the other hand, Gayle also looked cheerful about Sunil Narine’s performance with the bat and his successful ongoing campaign which includes 214 runs at an astounding strike-rate of 178.33. “To be honest, he is one guy who has turned it around as a cricketer. Some teams (franchises) tried him as an opener and it worked for KKR. You can’t deny he has been under scrutiny for his action.”
“He came back with a remodelled action. But once people play him more, more accustomed they are to his style of bowling. So it’s something where you can say, ‘Yes’ his batting can give him confidence with his bowling as well. As a spinner, he is still most economical in T20,” concluded Gayle.
Courtesy : indianexpress
