Ahead of their World Twenty20 semifinal showdown against India, West Indies swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle on Tuesday expressed that he hoped star batman Virat Kohli fails to score runs during the match, adding that even if he fires, it should be in a losing cause for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side.
However, the 36-year-old hailed Kohli for his brilliant 82-run knock against Australia which propelled India into the semifinals and described him as a 'world-beater'.
"Well no surprise about Virat. I have said over the years that he is going to be a world beater he is today and hopefully he doesn't get any runs on the match day. He has been fantastic. He is in great form as well. But if he still gets runs, it should be in a losing cause," Gayle told reporters after the practice session for the match at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Admitting that it would be tough to beat the hosts, Gayle said that India had gained a lot of confidence heading into the semifinals, but believes that his side have the capability to upset them.
"There is no doubt that they (India) have gained some momentum and a lot of confidence coming into this game. If you look at the Indian team, they are a very good side with good fielding unit. That is why India are favourites. It has always been difficult to beat them but like I said West Indies are ready to upset them," added the explosive southpaw.
Describing Dhoni as an 'unpredictable' skipper, Gayle also said that he would be prepared to counter any bowling strategies put forward by the Indian skipper and that he would play according to the situation.
Expressing his views on the current state of the Caribbean side, the left-hander hailed his side's bench-strength and pointed out that the youngsters had stood up in the T20 format's pinnacle event in the absence of some key players.
"We have lost a lot of key players. But, if you look at the backup guys who came in front for those key players, they have played a tremendous part as well. So that goes to show the strength of West Indies cricket. The bench is still strong enough and we have got a lot of match-winners. It is a fantastic overall team as well. It is going to be an interesting game," he said.
The Carribean side has been playing in the World T20 without the services of their star players like Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Darren Bravo.
