File image of an India-Pakistan match© AFP
Talking about the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India later this year, Chris Gayle has picked India, England, Pakistan and New Zealand as the four semi-finalists. On the much awaited Indo-Pak clash in Ahmedabad on October 15, Gayle has a rather different take. “Whenever those teams play, especially in a World Cup, the revenues they generate is humongous. One game can take care of the entire ICC event. Pakistan and India players should demand a lot of money for those games because those games are high paid games TV wise,” Gayle told PTI.
“I don’t control the board or the ICC. If I was in their position I would want a lot more,” he said (laughing).
He also sees his longtime RCB teammate Virat Kohli to dominate the World Cup at home. “Tough times don’t last long tough players last longer. Virat is tough mentally as well physically. I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t go to this World Cup and dominate. As players, we always go through phases where things seem a bit dull and you need positive energy around to uplift yourself. Once we get back in the groove, we know how dangerous we can be.
“I know India have not won an ICC trophy in a long time and same is the case with us (West Indies). We last won in 2016. Pressure will be on India as they play at home as favourites,” Gayle reckoned.
Topics mentioned in this article