Chris Gayle scored a quick 28-ball 40 to begin his IPL 2021 campaign. But that was it. Since then he has not been delivering and Punjab Kings faced another defeat in their last game. Questioning the selection of Gayle, Ajit Agargar said to ESPNCricinfo, “He got 40 in the first game. The challenge with Chris Gayle is that he did not play the first few games last season and then came back and he was as good as ever. So I can understand it is a difficult decision to sit him out. If he is it and when he has done well, you always want to accommodate him. How long can you go on if he is not firing, especially at this stage of his career?”
Andy Flower acknowledges the problem
On the other hand, Punjab Kings’ assistant coach Andy Flower acknowledged the problem Gayle facing to take quick singles and twos. He mentioned that playing aggressive cricket in Chennai is difficult. “Ideally, Yes (Whether Chris Gayle’s inability to run hard acts as a hindrance), i think on a pitch like this, the boundaries are hard to come by, so hitting the ball in the gap, playing with the spin as often as possible and running hard… It was the sort of template that David Warner and Jonny Bairstow really used well (against PBKS),” Andy Flower said.
Punjab Kings already have a batsman like Dawid Malan in their squad. They might think of playing him now instead of persisting with Gayle for long. Punjab Kings will be playing their next match of the season against Mumbai Indians on April 23 in Chennai.
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