[Watch] Chris Gayle chooses between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers as his favorite batting partner in the IPL
West Indian opener Chris Gayle recently chose his favorite batting partner in the IPL between former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli and South African great AB de Villiers (ABD).
The tall left-hander has had numerous partnerships with Kohli and De Villiers, as the three legends entertained fans across the globe with their batting.
The question left Gayle stumped during a show on Jio Cinema, but the Jamaican finally chose Kohli over ABD. He said:
"I opened the batting more with Virat, so I am going to pick Virat."
Gayle also spoke about his partnership with Kohli by saying:
"Virat tried to dictate too much when I was batting and used to be like, ‘Oh Chris, come on, take it from ball one,' and I used to say, 'Hey youngster, take it easy. I have like 15 T20 centuries, okay, so I know what I am doing here, so take it easy,' but it was fun to bat with."
Here is a video of Gayle talking about batting with Kohli:
In the 2012 season, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli shared an unbeaten partnership of 204 (5th highest all-time) in their match against the Delhi Daredevils. The pair have also combined for 2,787 while batting together, the second most behind only the Virat Kohli-AB de Villiers partnership.
Gayle, who was earlier part of the Kolkata Knight Riders, was recruited by RCB midway through the 2011 season as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. His IPL career took off from there, and he was arguably the most integral part of the franchise during his tenure there.
During his stint with the franchise from 2011 to 2017, the destructive opener scored five centuries and amassed over 3000 runs. He was also the Orange Cap winner in 2011 and 2012 and helped the team reach two IPL finals in 2011 and 2016.
Overall, the West Indian has scored close to 5,000 runs at an average of 39.72 and a strike rate of 149 with six centuries in his illustrious IPL career.
"I have not walked once in India and that is something I miss so badly" - Virat Kohli opens up on his childhood memories.
Virat Kohli has been one of the stalwarts of Indian cricket over the past decade and has wowed fans with his incredible batting achievements. However, with the superstar status he has gained, Kolhi spoke about things from his childhood that he wishes he could do now.
In a candid conversation with Star Sports, Kohli admitted that walking around in India is something he misses.
Recalling his childhood days, Kohli said:
"I won’t enter a vehicle or scooty, I would walk. I have not walked once in India and that is something I miss so badly. During my childhood, our go-to-market was Jwala Heri in West Delhi. I used to go there regularly. I would park my scooty and roam over there, sometimes to buy jeans."
Kohli continued:
“That’s something that I really miss. If someone gives me 12 hours, I would honestly just walk around. That’s a different joy of walking on the road, go whichever shop you want, eat or buy something. I don’t even remember the last time I walked on the road here.”
Virat Kohli has been in imperious form thus far this season, scoring 214 runs at an average of 71.33 and a strike rate of 147.59. He was the Man of the Match in RCB's latest victory against the Delhi Capitals on Saturday, April 15.