IPL 2020: 'Chris Gayle has brought a lot of energy to the KXIP team,' says Sachin Tendulkar

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar believes that Kings XI Punjab batsman Chris Gayle's addition to the side has been the turning point for the franchise. He also said that the Jamaican is a very smart cricketer who does not depend solely on brute force.

KXIP were on a six-game losing streak but have won four games on the trot since Chris Gayle's entry into the playing XI.

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have been two of the most consistent batsmen in the IPL and Nicholas Pooran too has shown glimpses of his brilliance with the bat. But Sachin Tendulkar stated that it is the addition of Chris Gayle to the side that has made all the difference for KXIP.

“Well, he (Chris Gayle) has brought a lot of energy in the team and there are certain players with the way they play, their style, the statement they make with the hard-hitting shots. It has a positive impact on the team and that is exactly what has happened. Although I know KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have been batting well. Nicholas Pooran is another dangerous guy and the addition of Chris Gayle makes a dangerous batting line-up,” Sachin Tendulkar said in a video uploaded on his social media.

Chris Gayle is a smart player and a clever guy: Sachin Tendulkar

Chris Gayle scored a half-century in his first match of IPL 2020 against RCB

Sachin Tendulkar also remarked that Chris Gayle was not someone who goes slam bang from the very first ball. He noted that Gayle first reads the conditions and identifies the bowlers he can target.

If he senses that a bowler is bowling well, he doesn't mind playing out his over because he has the ability to make up for it by targeting someone else. This is exactly why Sachin Tendulkar felt Gayle was a very shrewd operator out in the midde.

“When it comes to Gayle, people only talk about his big-hitting that everyone knows. Many guys don’t know one thing that Gayle is a very very smart player. He is a big-hitter no doubt, but he is a smart player and a clever guy,” Sachin Tendulkar said.

“He understands the surface, he reads the pace and the bounce of the surface and what the bowler is good at and when he realizes there is a bowler whom he can target, he goes all out after them and that would be the strategy throughout the tournament because that is what I have noticed throughout. He is a smart guy,” he further added.

KXIP play against the Kolkata Knight Riders next in Sharjah on Monday and will be hopeful that Chris Gayle can fire on all cylinders, pushing them one step closer to the IPL 2020 playoffs.

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