Gayle Very Much Disappointed With RCB

 Cricket News:Chris Gayle, who is currently trending everywhere for not only his big sixes but also his dance moves, spoke to TOI sports about his disappointment with RCB and his current aim to win the IPL for KXIP.

 I was RCB’s biggest draw, it was disappointing not to be retained, said Chris Gayle.

Having bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2008 auctions, Gayle spent three years with KKR. But unfortunately he remained unsold in the 2011 auctions.

He was preparing himself for his international duty, when suddenly he received news that RCB had bought him in place of Dirk Nannes, who had suffered a side strain. Thus began the era of Chris Gayle’s with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Across seven seasons, Gayle had been RCB’s most impactful player as he scored 3163 runs. But his mediocre form in 2017 (200 runs in 9 matches) made the franchises to again lose interest in him in the 2018 auctions.

It was Kings XI Punjab, who had already formed their core team and still had two crores in their budget, opted for the Jamaican in the last stages of the auction. The end result is that Gayle again became a hot property, having scored 252 runs in four matches, with a strike rate of over 151 and along with an unbeaten century.

In an exclusive chat with TOI Sports, Gayle spoke on a wide range of topics, from his fitness to his surprise to see that no franchise backed him, to his experience of sharing the KXIP dressing room and more. Some excerpts of the interview are given below.

Excerpts…

Four innings in this edition of the IPL and three of them have resulted in a fifty or a hundred. Is it safe to say that Chris Gayle has proved his detractors wrong?

I don’t know if I’ve actually proved them wrong. There are always going to be doubters but at the same time I didn’t have anything to prove. My records speak for themselves. Even though I was selected in the very last round of the auction, I wasn’t really worried about it. Even if it was the end of it, there is life… a life beyond cricket, beyond the IPL. At some stage, you are going to walk away from the IPL and other forms of cricket. So I was never too intrigued. This is how I’ve always been – living in the present. But given the sense that I was picked up and playing for a new franchise, it was very pleasing. And the way I have played in the first three games, I think it has been fantastic. I’m very happy with where I’m at.

Everyone was surprised at your exclusion in the early rounds of the auction which, in a way, hinted that the franchises were not really banking on you. Can that be considered a factor behind your current scores?

Not in particular but I’ll be honest in admitting that it was very surprising for me to not get picked by any team. I don’t know what went behind closed doors but I also understand that these things happen. It’s just the way it is. But it’s fine. I’ve moved on from it. Like I said, it’s a great opportunity to be playing for King XI Punjab and so far I’ve had a great time. Perhaps it was supposed to happen, you know. King Gayle; destined to be playing for Kings XI Punjab.

Your last season with RCB went south. But with 485 runs in the BPL and 376 in the CPL, were you surprised when RCB did not show interest in retaining you? After all, you were one of their biggest draws…

Not “one of”; I was their biggest draw. It was disappointing from that end because they had called me. They wanted me in the team and I was told that I will be retained. But they never called back after that. So that gave me the impression that they didn’t want me and it’s fine. As I said I can’t fight with anyone. I think I had a wonderful CPL and BPL – where I scored two centuries for my side Rangpur Riders. The stats don’t lie: 21 centuries, most number of sixes. If that doesn’t put a stamp on brand Chris Gayle, I don’t know what will.

You have reinvented yourself time and again in the T20 format. How have you been able to boss this art?

Because I’m the Universe Boss (laughs). But on a serious note, the first time I understood the need of it was when I injured my back in 2015 and underwent surgery. It’s the old rule of the game you know, with serious injuries your approach changes. I’ve dealt with injuries before as well but none was as tricky as my back. It required a lot of monitoring and that is when I thought I can’t be going in with the same approach every time. So I began biding more time at the crease. I am using my experience a lot more now.

Your approach to batting has been slightly different. Earlier, you used to see off a few deliveries but this year you’ve gone on the attack pretty early. What has been the reason behind that?

That just differs from opposition to opposition. Any team I play and once I’m at the crease, they’ve all got to worry. Sometimes I give myself a chance early on and bat as deep as possible; let the other batsmen play around me. So while all the focus is on me, the other batsmen can get their eyes in and go about their game accordingly. On other occasions, when I feel like it’s my day, I try to put the bowling team under pressure by attacking early. So like I said, it is all about having a different strategy for different opponents.

At 38, what are the challenges you face to keep yourself fit?

Just to keep your body in shape as much as possible, just doing the usual drills as much as possible. I know that I am no spring chicken but at the same time, I don’t really need any intense training session or anything of that sort. I’m naturally fit and I think my body is in great shape for a 38-year-old (laughs). So as long as I can combine this body with my experience, I’m good to go.

You have owned almost every T20 batting record that there is. What lies next for Chris Gayle?

Just two things: winning the IPL this year and the World Cup for West Indies next year. I believe West Indies have a big chance of winning the World Cup in 2019. I know we struggled in the qualifiers but now that we’ve made it, our next aim is to win it. But right now it’s definitely the IPL. KXIP have never won it. Our owner Preity Zinta is so fantastic, so enthusiastic. The way she roots for her players is just amazing and I think she needs to lift the IPL trophy this year.