Gayle ready for Ashwin test
MUMBAI, Mar 30, 2016, DHNS:
Jamaican exudes confidence ahead of the semifinal clash
Chris Gayle vs Ravichandran Ashwin. This has been one battle that the marauding West Indian hasn’t been able to nail thus far. While their duel in T20 Internationals has been restricted to just one game — the World T20 match in Dhaka in 2014 — Ashwin has managed to rein in on Gayle on many occasions in the Indian Premier League.
In their most recent face-off, Ashwin, who played for the now-suspended Chennai Super Kings, gave away just six runs off 12 balls he bowled to Gayle who eventually was out after an uncharacteristic 41 off 43 balls in the 2015 IPL Qualifier in Ranchi.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will also not forget the 2011 IPL final when Ashwin dashed their hopes by removing Gayle, on whom the RCB pinned hopes in a chase of 206, in the first over after MS Dhoni opened the attack with the off-spinner.
Ashwin’s figures of 4/13 broke the back of Bengaluru side.
Even in the lone T20I in Dhaka, Gayle could manage only eight off 11 deliveries he faced from Ashwin. So when India clash with the West Indies here on Thursday in the second semifinal of the World T20, Gayle vs Ashwin will be a battle within the battle.
New Zealand tried to hit Ashwin out of the attack in Nagpur but the bowler had the last laugh. Australia, however, succeeded in doing so as Dhoni didn’t bring back his strike bowler after he went for 31/1 in two overs. Will Dhoni open with Ashwin on Thursday? Probably yes. What would be Gayle’s approach? Try and hit him out of the park.
“Dhoni always puts Ashwin up early but Dhoni is an unpredictable captain,” said Gayle here on Tuesday when asked about the prospect of him facing Ashwin first up.
“It isn’t necessary that he’ll do it but these things do happen. Like I said I am looking at to show what Chris Gayle is… I will be prepared, I’ll be ready mentally for whichever particular bowler he has to focus on, even if it is Ashwin.
“There are so many bowlers there — (Ashish) Nehra is bowling well. He is very good with the new ball,” he remarked.
Gayle, in his inimitable style, stressed that he didn’t worry about the bowler but just looked at the ball . “We just have to keep our eyes open, play according to the situation,” he noted. “Chris Gayle will always be positive. It doesn’t matter which bowler is bowling against Chris Gayle. Chris Gayle is looking to attack. That’s the nature of T20 cricket. And that’s the nature of Chris Gayle. No names, just cricket ball… Beat it as hard as possible,” he offered.
The left-hander, who has been Virat Kohli’s team-mate in RCB for the last seven years, hoped the in-form Indian batsman doesn’t fire on Thursday.
“Yeah, I am hoping… ‘Please don’t fire, Virat’,” he began. “He is in good form and it is a good wicket (in Mumbai) as well so anything is possible. We have to play the situation accordingly, play within our strength and take it from there. We are not going to focus on only Virat, there are so many match-winners there and any one of them can actually fire on any particular day.
It is a huge team; their batting line-up is superb, but Virat is the man that stands out at this point in time,” he reasoned.
Continuing on Kohli, Gayle said that even if the Indian ace got amongst runs they should come in a losing cause.
“I have said it over the years he is going to be the world beater he is today. Hopefully tomorrow he won’t get any runs. He has been fantastic right through the year.
He can still get runs but in a losing cause. We’ll be happy with that as well.”
In their most recent face-off, Ashwin, who played for the now-suspended Chennai Super Kings, gave away just six runs off 12 balls he bowled to Gayle who eventually was out after an uncharacteristic 41 off 43 balls in the 2015 IPL Qualifier in Ranchi.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will also not forget the 2011 IPL final when Ashwin dashed their hopes by removing Gayle, on whom the RCB pinned hopes in a chase of 206, in the first over after MS Dhoni opened the attack with the off-spinner.
Ashwin’s figures of 4/13 broke the back of Bengaluru side.
Even in the lone T20I in Dhaka, Gayle could manage only eight off 11 deliveries he faced from Ashwin. So when India clash with the West Indies here on Thursday in the second semifinal of the World T20, Gayle vs Ashwin will be a battle within the battle.
New Zealand tried to hit Ashwin out of the attack in Nagpur but the bowler had the last laugh. Australia, however, succeeded in doing so as Dhoni didn’t bring back his strike bowler after he went for 31/1 in two overs. Will Dhoni open with Ashwin on Thursday? Probably yes. What would be Gayle’s approach? Try and hit him out of the park.
“Dhoni always puts Ashwin up early but Dhoni is an unpredictable captain,” said Gayle here on Tuesday when asked about the prospect of him facing Ashwin first up.
“It isn’t necessary that he’ll do it but these things do happen. Like I said I am looking at to show what Chris Gayle is… I will be prepared, I’ll be ready mentally for whichever particular bowler he has to focus on, even if it is Ashwin.
“There are so many bowlers there — (Ashish) Nehra is bowling well. He is very good with the new ball,” he remarked.
Gayle, in his inimitable style, stressed that he didn’t worry about the bowler but just looked at the ball . “We just have to keep our eyes open, play according to the situation,” he noted. “Chris Gayle will always be positive. It doesn’t matter which bowler is bowling against Chris Gayle. Chris Gayle is looking to attack. That’s the nature of T20 cricket. And that’s the nature of Chris Gayle. No names, just cricket ball… Beat it as hard as possible,” he offered.
The left-hander, who has been Virat Kohli’s team-mate in RCB for the last seven years, hoped the in-form Indian batsman doesn’t fire on Thursday.
“Yeah, I am hoping… ‘Please don’t fire, Virat’,” he began. “He is in good form and it is a good wicket (in Mumbai) as well so anything is possible. We have to play the situation accordingly, play within our strength and take it from there. We are not going to focus on only Virat, there are so many match-winners there and any one of them can actually fire on any particular day.
It is a huge team; their batting line-up is superb, but Virat is the man that stands out at this point in time,” he reasoned.
Continuing on Kohli, Gayle said that even if the Indian ace got amongst runs they should come in a losing cause.
“I have said it over the years he is going to be the world beater he is today. Hopefully tomorrow he won’t get any runs. He has been fantastic right through the year.
He can still get runs but in a losing cause. We’ll be happy with that as well.”
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