Bengaluru. Cricket fans in Bengaluru are over the moon ever since West Indies star batsman Chris Gayle, after his century against England in Mumbai, had remarked that he was going home for his next match. Gayle was referring to Bengaluru since he plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL, and is adored by fans in this city.
So it was no wonder that on Sunday the Chinnaswamy Stadium was packed to the brim to see their hero Gayle bat against Sri Lanka. Unfortunately their hopes were dashed as Gayle, while latching on to a Milinda Siriwardan’s edge, got injured and had to leave the field. Though he did not pad up to open the innings, he was ready to bat after the fall of the third West Indies wicket. However, he was stopped on the tracks since he had not spent the stipulated time out after having left the field, for him to be able to bat again.
Gayle is such an entertainer that he enjoys mixing freely with the crowd. As the brand ambassador of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) in Dubai, he had won the hearts of fans through his off-field antics. Here too he was seen joking with fans, and some of them even asked him personal questions. His passion for dance results in a number of requests from restaurants that also play music. A night man to the core, Gayle rarely sleeps before midnight.
In Kolkata, while attending a Calcutta Club function, Dwayne Bravo revealed an interesting side of Gayle that to wake him up in the morning was the toughest. “Gayle never wakes up before 11 am. You will never see him for breakfast in the hotel,” said Bravo. To which Sourav Ganguly who was also present said: “I don’t think you can keep track of Gayle. Maybe he eats breakfast and then goes back to sleep.”
Whatever the case is, when the sleeping giant wakes up, it is trouble for bowlers. Bravo is also as jovial as Gayle, and when asked to pick out the best moment of his career to date, he said: “It was four years ago when we won the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. I took the final catch, that too on my birthday. That was a great moment!”
