IPL 2021: "Chris Gayle loves to speak in Hindi"- PBKS' Mohammed Shami on the 'Universe Boss'
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami has revealed Chris Gayle loves to speak in Hindi with his teammates. The Indian bowler also divulged how Indian cricketers in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) setup teach Punjabi to the Universe Boss.
PBKS prevailed in the first game of the IPL 2021 season against the Rajasthan Royals, winning the match narrowly by four runs.
In an interaction with ABP Ananda, Mohammed Shami praised Chris Gayle for his fun-loving nature.
"Chris Gayle loves to speak in Hindi. Most of the time, he likes to have fun in Hindi. While talking in English, he suddenly starts speaking in Hindi. The way we hum songs in Hindi, he speaks (Hindi) in the same way. Punjabi Cricketers from our team teach him Punjabi as well. He has been playing international cricket for so long. So much experience he has under his belt. As a human, he is very nice. He loves Indian culture," the Indian bowler said.
The 41-year-old had a decent outing with the bat in his side's first encounter, scoring 40 off 28 balls before holing out in the deep against the Rajasthan Royals. He will be keen to make his mark when his side take on the Chennai Super Kings today.
For the full IPL 2021 match list, click here.
Chris Gayle's impressive IPL 2020
Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) had a poor start to their last season, winning just once in their first seven encounters. However, they staged a comeback in the tournament and were in with a chance to make the playoffs at one point.
Their fortunes changed last season when Chris Gayle was introduced in the playing XI at No. 3. The West Indies star played seven games and scored 288 runs at an average of 41.14. His strike rate of 137.14 last season was impressive despite being relatively low compared to his career IPL strike rate of 150.04.
Following his heroics last season, the Punjab Kings realised the importance of including the 41-year-old in the batting order as the Jamaican star played the first game of the campaign.
However, with world No.1 T20I batsman Dawid Malan waiting in the wings to get his chance, Chris Gayle will need to keep performing for PBKS to keep his place secured in the playing XI.