The phenomenon called Chris Gayle
He is over 40 years old, but is going to play his fifth World Cup for the West Indies. He has played international cricket for over two decades now, but he is still one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket today.
Chris Gayle has been a phenomenon, a man who with brute force and raw power, has sent shivers down the spines of the best of the bowlers. When Gayle is on song, no boundary seems big for him, the spectators turn fielders, and of course, the fielders just watch the ball sail into the boundary.
In the 2019 edition of the IPL, Gayle has been in murderous form with the bat. He has given flying starts to Kings XI Punjab at the top of the order, and has ripped apart bowling attacks. He is also the 3rd highest run scorer in the 2019 edition of the IPL, having amassed 444 runs so far at a stunning strike rate of 162.04.
One thing that sets Gayle apart from the rest is his ability to back himself. Usually, the first ten balls he faces are spent in assessing the condition, and the bowlers. And, once he gets his eye in, he goes on the rampage. And once he cuts loose, the fireworks start, and it is an absolute nightmare for the bowlers.
The cricketing world has mainly seen three kinds of batsmen. One is the classical type. These are the men who make you gape at them with the splendour in their stroke play. Sachin Tendulkar’s straight drive, Rahul Dravid’s square cut, Virat Kohli’s cover drive are those shots that are straight out of the coaching manual.
Then, come the unorthodox type. The likes of AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni fall in this category. The bowler would have bowled a perfectly good delivery on off stump with the off side field packed, but de Villiers will move across his stumps and flick him past mid-wicket for a boundary. The bowler would have bowled a perfectly good yorker, but Dhoni will bring his powerful wrists into play, and send the ball soaring into the crowd.
Then, come the third type of batsmen. These are the men who have excellent hand eye co-ordination. They are also blessed with brute power and use their physical ability to impose themselves upon the opposition. And that is why, no matter how big the boundary is, the likes of Gayle can just pummel the ball out of the park with raw power.
He has thrived on this technique ever since reinventing himself as a T20 specialist. Perhaps the 2019 World Cup will be the last for the legendary West Indian batsman, after which he will walk into the sunset, bringing down the curtains on an illustrious career.
With the retirement of Gayle, the career of one of the most glorious West Indian cricketers of modern era, will be brought to an end.