"He always invites the team home" - Virat Kohli on whether he plans to hang out with Chris Gayle in the West Indies
Virat Kohli has said that he will definitely meet Chris Gayle during India's tour of the West Indies, subject to the latter's availability.
India will play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is in their upcoming series against the Windies, with the first Test starting in Roseau on Wednesday, July 12. However, none of the matches are scheduled in Jamaica, where Gayle comes from.
During an interaction on 'Follow the Blues' on Star Sports, Virat Kohli was asked whether he has any plans to hang out with Chris Gayle in the Caribbean, to which he responded:
"Well Chris, I have hung out with him for so many years. I am sure that when we are in Jamaica, we will definitely go and meet Chris. He always invites the team home to have a good time and just chill out."
The former Indian skipper added:
"So I am sure he is going to do the same again if he is in town. Everyone loves him. We went last time as well to his place, we had a great time and he is such a humble guy. Definitely, if he is free and he is in town, sure we are going to catch up with him."
Kohli was also asked about his favorite memory of playing in the West Indies, to which he replied:
"My favorite memory obviously is Antigua. I got my first-ever double hundred in Test cricket in Antigua in front of Sir Vivian Richards. That for me was a very, very special moment and then he met me in the evening as well and congratulated me. It can't get any better than that."
Kohli played a 200-run knock in the 2016 Antigua Test against the West Indies. India went on to win the game by an innings and 92 runs, with Ravichandran Ashwin picking up seven wickets in the hosts' second innings.
"It's got history attached to it" - Virat Kohli on what makes playing cricket in the West Indies unique
Virat Kohli was queried about what makes playing cricket in the West Indies unique, to which he responded:
"It's got history attached to it. You can feel the heritage and the passion of the people when you go and play there. We are all very excited. The atmosphere for cricket in the West Indies is great."
The modern batting great added:
"I mean the buzz in the stadium is quite outstanding. There are little trumpets that they bring and the noise that's there in the stadium. People are dancing all day and relaxing, just enjoying life in general. I think it's a great thing to see."
Despite scoring a double century in Antigua, Kohli has managed just 463 runs at a below-par average of 35.61 in his 13 Test innings in the West Indies. He will want to better that record and give India a winning start in their first series of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.