West Indies great Chris Gayle picked legendary cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the most successful captain for India, adding that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have also done their jobs well as the Indian skippers. Dhoni led India in a whopping 200 ODIs and won 110 out of those. India lost 74 ODIs under his leadership while 16 games ended up as a no-result.
Under his captaincy, he gained victory in three main ICC trophies: ICC T20 World Cup in the year 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup in the year 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy in the year 2013. He captained most international matches totaling 332 across all formats. He won 178 matches while losing 120 under his management. Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings in the IPL five titles. "Dhoni has been the most successful captain for India. The guy has actually set the trend and overall, Rohit Sharma did his job well and Virat Kohli did his job pretty much," Gayle told IANS.
Talking about the toughest bowler he has faced in his career, Gayle cheekily replied, "The toughest bowler, is he born or is he still alive? I'm not sure. So, all bowlers are tough because every bowler tries and gets a chance to pick a wicket." "Every baller can actually just take one ball to get here, but at the same time, it's fun going up against some quality top-class fast bowlers and spinners as well. Every bowler is pretty much tough, but the 'Universe Boss' is just tougher, he added.".
Gayle, who is currently playing for Gujarat Giants in the Legends League Cricket, also has some opinions for the tournament and stated himself to be excited to share a dressing room with former India opener Shikhar Dhawan. "I have been around for a month now, and this is my first game. I joined the tournament late, but it was actually good fun last year and a bit of rain interrupted the tournament this year as well. So, I've been a setback with a wicked as well, low scoring as well; I want to see more entertainment. Hopefully they can work on that, but overall, there are some quality retired places. So, it's fantastic to actually be a part of this once again and to share a dressing room with the likes of Shikar Dhawan. Legends League is actually making up movements," he said. The West Indies may have started a bit calmly, but they certainly made everyone realize their presence as they clinched the third leg by starting Sunday at Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu before moving to Srinagar for the final. Gayle revealed he is looking forward to visiting Kashmir-a place he has never been to in India.
"I've never been to Srinagar. It's going to be my first time so that's another tick on my list in India, one more state that I'm actually going to visit. So I'm actually looking forward to Srinagar. Is quite close to Kashmir. I think I'm looking forward to it because I've never been to that side of India. I'm really excited, said Gayle. A further motivating factor to be a part of the IPL is of course to maintain some form of West Indian pride; to say that despite his IPL record of most sixes hit in the competition, which he has held after every season, he would love to play for an IPL franchise and help pass on his wisdom to the younger lot as a mentor or coach.
"That'd be cool to be in the IPL. I'd like to be among a team, you know; that'll be something cool. I've got loads of experience to share; I've been someone who has been dominant as well. I would love to be a part of it without a doubt to share my knowledge and my experience in the IPL."
