Gayle is what T20 planet craves for, an entertainer
We all love Chris Gayle, don’t we? OK, let me rephrase this: we all love Chris Gayle’s batting, don’t we? Personally, I love the entire package of this man-mountain. He is a delight for marketing men, broadcasters and of course us the lesser mortals, his fans who were not surprised that he reached 10K runs in this format.
I may not be able to give him company at a pub beyond 1am but I’ll be the first person to switch on my TV set at 2am if he is batting. He is what the T20 planet craves for, an entertainer. How he does it? Well, the first thing is Gayle’s intent. Most coaches have told me the 4-3-2-1 formula to score runs. It means the first option is to look for a boundary. Second, look for three runs, third option is to search a couple and final one being to at least take a single. With Gayle the formula seems to be “think 6 — think 6 — think 6 again — bloody hell, let me block. Fours, well, let’s see.” My man hates to deal in ones or twos. Most people look (sometimes complain) at the thickness of his bat but for me the truth lies in the simplicity of the Jamaican’s gameplan. For starters, he operates in the V, most of his strokes are a product of a harmonious hand-eye marriage and a bat coming down from the Heavens in a beautiful arc. Then comes the most vital USP of Gayle Inc. — brute power. Gayle also knows and acknowledges what he can’t do. Those drives, the hook shots or the delicate dabs are never on Gayle’s menu. So, he is not your 360 degrees batsman but he is what he is. I have often said Rahul Dravid is the most evolved cricketer I have seen. Perhaps Gayle is the only one I know who has consolidated most on his strengths. Closer home, another batsman who has cast himself into a new mould is Yusuf Pathan. Back during the 2007 T20 World Cup he got off the blocks as a big-hitting sensation. I am glad that Yusuf has come out of the compulsive hitting mode. In 2015 IPL he averaged 44.57 and 72.2 in the next season. Against Delhi, it was his sensible batting that bailed us out. Yusuf says our former bowling coach Wasim Akram had a role to play in his transformation. It is that phase of the tournament when Yusuf can elevate his standing to next level. I spoke to him about this and he said, “dekh lengay yaar”. Yes, we have been trying a few combinations at the top. My fancy for a hitting option at the top tells me that I am reeling under Gayle-effect!