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Mumbai, February 6: Former West Indies swashbuckling opener Chris Gayle has opened up on his love for India and how the game has evolved in the country since the launch of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Gayle is not only one of the greatest T20 batsman ever, but very few cricketers - past or present - come close to matching his charisma.
The colossal benchmarks set by the West Indies stalwart will be difficult to surpass. And true to his ways, Gayle proclaimed he's the King in a conversation with Robin Uthappa in the 'Home of Heroes' episode on JioCinema.
Gayle has a massive following in India and the TATA IPL record books speak for themselves. He revealed to Uthappa that he made his debut for West Indies 'A' in Pune, his first experience of travelling to India.
Gayle on first class debut
"When I made my (First Class) debut, they were like 'Chris, you have to travel to India.' First time travelling by myself and going to India, we went to Pune at the time. Ian Bishop was the captain," he recalled.
"25 years ago, I still feel like I am 25! I have been coming here a long, long time and played against some guys. I don't remember the names, but I played against an off-spinner named (Nikhil) Chopra and Bhajji as well."
Gayle also elaborated on his love for India and the evolution of Indian cricketing culture.
"Who would've thought that from making my First-Class debut in India and over the next 20 years you're coming back and forth to India consistently. Then the IPL came, and I was a part of it. Now I am not in the IPL, but I am still coming to India. India! I ain't leaving guys! I love India," Gayle added.
"There are some fantastic players like yourself (Uthappa), and the young players like to hang around me because I like to talk a lot and they like to laugh.
"I like seeing people smile. I will just talk to them, give them good advice and be like 'you know what, you have to enjoy yourself'.
"I know you guys, everybody is passionate, but when it comes to the Indian culture, the guys are tight and tense because the competition is so stiff. I realize Indian players open up more now. You guys were very reserved, but you guys are more bold and stand out."
Gayle recalls 175 vs Pune Warriors
The 43-year-old also spoke about his history-making 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors in 2013, something that Uthappa witnessed first-hand as a member of the now-defunct squad.
"A special day, not only for me but for the fans as well. When I hear so many stories about that particular day, it was like the world stopped. It was like when Usain Bolt ran that 100m and everything stood still... I am glad to be a part of history. Scoring 100 off 30 balls."
Uthappa credited Gayle, AB de Villiers, and MS Dhoni for cultural changes before they both agreed that the IPL had made a huge difference to the approach of Indian players, who now share dressing rooms with an increasing number of international players.
Gayle later went on to talk about his international debut in Toronto in a tri-series that involved India and Pakistan. However, he had little impact in his first game against Pakistan, batting lower down the order and getting bowled out cheaply.
He also spoke about the legends of West Indies cricket like Brian Lara and their influence on his career. The riveting conversation took fans through Gayle's rise in the international set-up and especially how his T20 success came about.
This included him talking about the bats he used during his career and a montage that showed Uthappa bowling to Gayle, who is seen smashing the ball around the park.
Gayle on having a piece of every fast bowler he faced
Towards the end of the conversation, Gayle spoke about the best bowlers he has played against before letting everyone know that he was the king during his prime.
"I enjoy all fast bowlers because as an opening batsman, it's a competition for me. I want to outduel the best. Once you do that, the rest will crumble around you. If you dominate their best fast bowler, those to come are shaking in their pants.
"I like to capitalize on that because if I take down the main bowler, you have this guy or this guy coming after. It's not gonna work all the time but that's my kind of mentality. I came across some great fast bowlers in my international career up until my last World Cup.
"It was fantastic man... I win most battles against fast bowlers. I am the king; I am the winner. Any fast bowler objects to that, come see me. We can sit one-on-one, we can go into the ring and punch it out or we can have a talk. One winner. Every single fast bowler, I have had a piece of them."
Gayle and Uthappa wound the conversation up with the former naming bowlers he has struggled against, specifically naming Sri Lankan great Chaminda Vaas who got rid of him five times in one Test series.
