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Chris Gayle
Virat Kohli may have been going through a poor run of form but the senior Indian batter remains the "best player in the world," feels former West Indian swashbuckler Chris Gayle. The 36-year-old Kohli endured yet another poor outing as he was dismissed for just five runs in the second ODI against England in Cuttack on Sunday. But Gayle, who has played alongside Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL, remains unperturbed by the Indian's lean stretch. "He is still the best player in the world regardless of the form, Virat Kohli is still the best player, the stats prove that, how many centuries across formats he has scored as well," Gayle said on the sidelines of an event here on Tuesday. "It's just one of those things that we cricketers go through in patches. I know it is coming at the back end of his career as well, but these things do happen, so he just needs to pick himself up and come back again." Kohli has been struggling for runs in international cricket of late, but
Former cricketers Chris Gayle, Makhaya Ntini and Monty Panesar will line up to compete in the upcoming inaugural edition of the International Masters League, which gets underway on February 22. Gayle, Ntini and Panesar will compete for West Indies, South Africa and England Masters respectively. The competition will be held in Navi Mumbai, Rajkot and Raipur from February 22 to March 16. The IML is a fantastic platform to relive those big moments and share the stage with some of the best in the game. I'm ready to bring the Universe Boss energy to this league, Gayle said in a statement. I can assure you that this reunion is going to be memorable. The cricket we produce will be hard, unrelenting and breathtaking. Cricket fans are in for a treat, Ntini said. India great Yuvraj Singh had earlier confirmed his availability for the tournament which will feature six teams including India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa, Australia and England.
Legendary West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle has pinned the tag of favourites on India ahead of their marquee T20 World Cup match against Pakistan here on Sunday. India made a sound start to the ICC showpiece with a win over Ireland, while Pakistan were derailed by a charged co-hosts USA in the Super Over. "Their (Pakistan) backs are up against the wall and coming off a loss like that straight into playing a team like India, who traditionally have the upper hand in these games, is a huge challenge," Gayle told ICC. But Gayle said it would be naive to expect a cold contest between the cross-border rivals. "India are in the driver's seat, definitely a more relaxed seat. But this is India versus Pakistan at a World Cup, so you can take nothing for granted," he added. The dashing Jamaican said Pakistan, though, will have to regroup quickly to challenge India. "As for Pakistan, they have no time to waste. They have to re-group for the biggest game of the tournament against India in New
The big three -- India, England and Australia -- playing the bulk of Test cricket will eventually "kill the game" and the players of smaller boards like the West Indies must be paid better for international cricket to flourish, feels Chris Gayle. Gayle is best known for his exploits in T20 cricket but he is also a veteran of 103 Tests and 301 ODIs. Speaking to PTI, the 43-year-old said only three teams dominating the game can't be good for the game in the long run. "Over the years, cricket has changed quite a bit. It is a big business now. Lot of money being thrown around not just in T20 leagues but Test cricket as well. The bigger teams getting paid more than the smaller teams, leaving them at a disadvantage. "It needs to be structured, so that everyone can benefit. The disadvantaged and lower-ranked teams need to play more games to develop their skills. Infrastructure needs to be created for them and those players need to be paid well just like the big teams because everyone is .
Swashbuckling West Indian batter Chris Gayle praised Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli for his work ethic and passion, and recalled the intense competition between the two during their heyday at Royal Challengers Bangalore. Both Gayle and Kohli spent several seasons together at the IPL, dominating the rival bowlers and entertaining the crowd at their home base, Chinnaswamy Stadium, with as many as 10 century partnerships. "Batting with Virat was just fantastic. I like the passion he has for the game. I like his passion and his work ethic, it's fantastic. You have to give him credit for that and he wants to show it with his performances," Gayle said. In an episode of 'My Time with Virat', available on Jio Cinema, Gayle spoke about sharing the dressing room with Kohli, notching up numerous 100-run partnerships, and all the dance moves they perfected together. "Sharing a dressing room with Virat and the other guys, once I am there, I am always jovial and having a lot of fun, dancing