Chris Gayle has sounded a warning ahead of the all-important semi-final clash against hosts India at the Wankhede Stadium. Cricket365 reported the dangerous West Indian batsman speaking about his return from a hamstring injury.
Gayle also enjoyed the fact that he would be returning to Mumbai where his imposing knock smashed England to smithereens. He enthused, “This is a perfect opportunity to actually start the tournament and try and pick up where I left off, get a big one for the team and put them in a winning position.”
Despite the opener not coming into bat during the match against Sri Lanka, Andre Fletcher stepped up and showed his prowess with a timely half-century. One of the funniest incidents on the sidelines of a cricket ground could be seen when umpire Ian Gould jokingly pulled Gayle aside and dragged him all the way back to the dressing room.
The 36-year old went on to miss the final Group stage encounter against Afghanistan which they subsequently lost. However, the left-hander was happy about the performances given by some of the unfancied youngsters.
Gayle claimed, “That goes to show the strength of West Indies cricket back home. The guys who actually replaced the first picks, someone like Carlos Brathwaite, he won us the game against South Africa. And the bench is still strong enough.”
Revealing that the meteoric rise of star Indian batsman Virat Kohli did not surprise him, Gayle was effusive in his praise for his Royal Challengers Bangalore captain. The burly Jamaican asserted, “I have said it over the years he is going to be the world-beater he is today.”
Hoping that Kohli’s charisma would not affect the West Indies in the knockout game, he added, “He has been fantastic right through the year. He has been in a great form. He can still get runs but in a losing cause. We'll be happy with that as well.”
When asked about the Ashwin threat, Gayle acknowledged, “Dhoni is a very unpredictable captain. He might bring in (Ravichandran) Ashwin and might not also. But I am looking at what I can do and not focus on one single bowler. There are lot of bowlers who are bowling well.”
India will take on West Indies for a spot in the final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
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