Gayle hoping for timely ton against India
West Indies opener Chris Gayle feels the World Twenty20 semi-final against India on Thursday will be the perfect chance for him to stamp his authority on the tournament after injury.
Gayle scored a century in his side's opening match win against England, but was then out of commission with a hamstring injury. He didn't play in their final group match, a defeat to Afghanistan.
Gayle said on Tuesday: "This is a perfect opportunity to actually start the tournament and try and pick up where I left off, get a big one for the team and put them in a winning position."
When Gayle was unable to bat against Sri Lanka, Andre Fletcher stepped in and scored 84, while the rest of the team has done well in general, despite entering the event in poor form.
Gayle felt that there was enough depth in the Windies squad to make up for his absence, which explained how they advanced to the next round ahead of the likes of South Africa and defending champs Sri Lanka.
He added: "That goes to show the strength of West Indies cricket back home. The guys who actually replaced the first picks, someone like Carlos Brathwaite, he won us the game against South Africa … and the bench is still strong enough."
As for the match against India, Gayle said fellow Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Virat Kohli would be the danger man, especially after his half ton against Australia in India's most recent match.
Gayle said of Kohli: "I have said it over the years he is going to be the world-beater he is today.
"He has been fantastic right through the year. He has been in a great form. He can still get runs but in a losing cause. We'll be happy with that as well."
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