Time for me to score a big one: Dilshan

Bengaluru, April 24 (IANS)

Royal Challengers’ batsmen Tillakaratne Dilshan, who is yet to come out with a big one, said it is high time for him to play a big inning.

“I have been getting 20s and 30s. I want to score a big one and make it easy for the middle order batsmen,” Dilshan told IPLT20.com.

On Tuesday, Dilshan was a mere spectator as Chris Gayle blasted a record 175 not out from 66 deliveries. Dilshan contributed just 33 in the 167-run opening partnership with Gayle.

Dilshan was all praise for Gayle and was happy that he was part of a special innings.

“I batted with him in the last Indian Premier League (IPL) too and he scored a couple of hundreds. But this was something special. In my career this was the first time I saw someone hit the ball so cleanly. I was just standing at the other end and enjoying every bit of it,” he said.

When asked had Gayle said anything before or during the knock, Dilshan said: “We don’t talk much. Both of us believe in hitting the ball and that’s what we look to do. We just look to enjoy every single ball.”

The Sri Lankan also said that he enjoys batting with Gayle.

“I took over the hitting in the last match but today he was completely in charge and that is mostly the case. Every bowler in the world is scared to bowl to Chris; there’s no doubt about that,” he added.

“He doesn’t take too many chances for the first couple of overs. Once when he starts seeing the ball well, he takes the charge on. Once he reaches that stage where he knows he can clear any boundary.”

“I try to give him more strike in the first six overs because I know that he can clear the 30-yard circle more cleanly than I can. Not only the circle, he can clear the ground easily,” he added.

Dishan feels since the most dangerous batsmen in the world – Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and himself – are in the same team, they can go a long way in the tournament.