Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir needs Chris Gayle to open the batting for Punjab Kings (PBKS) amid the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 within the UAE.
Gautam Gambhir, the two-time IPL-winning captain for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), indeed criticized the West Indies national side for making Chris Gayle bat at No.3, a number he moreover bats at for PBKS.
“He has to open the batting. If Chris Gayle is in your team, why would you want him to bat at number three? It makes no sense for anyone to put Chris Gayle at number three. West Indies did that, Punjab Kings did that. I have no clue why someone would do that,” Gautam Gambhir told Star Sports. he said
“If Chris Gayle is in your playing 11, he has to open the batting because he is not going to waste balls. Probably at number three, he will have to run for a lot of singles, as compared to opening the batting. He could probably get you off to a flyer.” he added
Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle, who turns 42 next week, isn’t the drive that he once was. In spite of the fact that he remains imperative to PBKS’s batting plans, the No.3 spot hasn’t made a difference in him reproduce his past victory. The age factor may be a possible reason for the same.
Since IPL 2020, Chris Gayle has reliably batted at No.3. Amid this time period, he has scored 466 runs at an average of 33.3, striking at 136. The stage has brought his career IPL strike rate below 150.
Therefore, The Jamaican opened for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) between 2011 and 2017, where he found the middle value of over 43, striking at over 154.
Indeed in worldwide cricket, Chris Gayle, the No.3 hitter, may be a pale shadow of his prime. Within the 14 T20Is he has batted at three, he has as it were 214 runs at 16.46, and his strike rate, which usually drifts within the mid-140s has come down crashing at 116.
He will still be expected to bat at that position within the IPL 2021 and the T20 World Cup that takes after.
Put within the 6th spot, PBKS will continue their IPL 2021 campaign against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Dubai.
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