IPL 2016: Chris Gayle says Sarfaraz Khan is like his son
Royal Challengers Bangalore is off to a solid start as far as the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League is concerned. The Virat Kohli-led side crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 45 runs in their inaugural match of the tournament at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Although the destructive West Indian opening batsman, Chris Gayle didn't have a great day at the office yesterday, he seemed really excited about the prospect of the 18-year-old Sarfaraz Khan whom he cited as one of the future stars of Indian cricket.
After the initial dismissal of Chris Gayle, the super-duo of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers added 157 runs on the board before the Mumbai prodigy blasted 35 runs off just 10 deliveries to take the RCB total to a whopping 227 in their allotted 20 overs.
In an interview after the match, Chris Gayle said, “Not a bad one from the team's point of view. The action was superb. AB and Virat put up a fantastic stand and credit must go to Sarfaraz.”
“It's a great team effort to get to that total,” the charismatic West Indian added.
On his quest to an unbeaten 35, Sarfaraz Khan hit five boundaries and two massive sixes in the 10 odd minutes that he had spent on the crease.
When asked about the future prospect of the Mumbai boy, Chris Gayle answered, “We get along well. Sarfaraz keeps texting me and the way he played today was fantastic. He's too young and he's like a son to me. He's definitely one for the future and one must keep an eye on him.”
RCB's standing on the Vivo IPL 2016 table:
Royal Challengers Bangalore is currently placed at the second position on the Vivo Indian Premier League table with a couple of points in their kitty. The side has the same number of points as Rising Pune Supergiants, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Gujarat Lions.
However, a net run rate of +2.250 has propelled Virat Kohli's side to the number two position on the table just behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Rising Pune Supergiants (+2.541).
The star-studded side will be facing the out-of-form Delhi Daredevils, who have lost their opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders, in their second match of the tournament at their home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.