What does 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle do when he's not hitting the batsmen out of the park while globetrotting as a Twenty 20 specialist? He plays poker, he says. Not just him; there are several cricketers who indulge in the card game in free time. Gayle, who has been “rested” from the three-match Twenty20I series against Bangladesh, is visiting India as the brand ambassador of an online poker website. However, it was no surprise that Gayle got a number of queries related to the ongoing Test match between India and England at Edgbaston and his previous IPL teammate and Indian skipper Virat Kohli's marvellous knock of 149 that has changed the course of the match.
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Gayle is no fan of Test cricket, having made his views clear that the longer format game faces an uphill task in the face of the more exiting T20 format. The big West Indian revealed he did not watch the Edgbaston Test proceedings on Thursday but did catch the highlights, primarily starring Kohli. “It was a fantastic innings—a captain's innings. He has put his team in a position to come back in the Test match from the position they were in. The first session today will be crucial for Indian bowlers who face the long England batting line-up,” said Gayle. “That's the perfect start you want. He has set up the match for the team.”
More importantly, he believes that Kohli's lonely battle will spur the rest of the Indian batsmen who failed spectacularly in the first innings, to come up with better performances. “From a captain's point of view, that innings will boost the self-belief and confidence of the rest of the batsmen—it will push them and inspire them. Look at the tailenders—the guys were very determined as they batted alongside Kohli.”
Meanwhile, Gayle is targeting the 2019 ICC World Cup in England even as he looks to be the X factor in the T20 version in the various leagues he plays. The 38-year-old Jamaican scored 142 runs in the ODI series against Bangladesh which included a 73 off 66 balls in the third ODI. But with younger stars—Evin Lewis and Shai Hope—coming up, it remains to be seen whether Gayle gets to end his career with a final flourish. He also has the ICC World Twenty20 Championships in 2020 in his sight. “From my point of view, we are leading up to the 2019 World Cup in UK. To (play there)... that's the objective. I will have discussions with the selectors, captain and coach on how to go about it.”
With Twenty 20 leagues flourishing all over the globe and more coming up, the proposed 100-ball game set to be introduced in England has attracted diverse opinions.
Gayle is more positive about this format which has evoked strong criticism from former England players and the media even as the exact rules of the format are yet to be unveiled by England and Wales Cricket Board. “I am looking forward to it. Waiting for the full details to be out. I want to see the full rules. We just have to wait and see what the reaction to it will be,” said Gayle.