Chris Gayle hails 'legend' Virat Kohli, hopes he plays on for long
Synopsis
Former West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle praised Virat Kohli, calling him a 'phenomenal' player. He also commented on West Indies' record-breaking run-chase against India, lauding skipper Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford.
Gayle on 'King Kohli'
Gayle, who shared the changing room with Kohli during his days with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), spoke to ANI on the sidelines of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), where he is representing West Indies Champions. Speaking about Kohli, he said, "The man is a legend, the man is unique, he is phenomenal. I cannot find any other word to actually uplift Virat because, as I said, everybody is calling him the King Kohli, he has done so much for the game of cricket as well, and hopefully he can carry on as long as possible, especially in the international scene. He has been dominant in the IPL as well. So, like I said, great guy, great person."
This year in nine ODIs, Kohli has scored 552 runs in nine innings at an average of 69.00 and a strike rate of 117.94, with two centuries and three fifties, with a best score of 139*. During the recent ODIs against West Indies this month, he scored 168 runs across three innings, including an explosive 88-ball 139* in the first ODI while chasing 290-odd runs.
Kohli is the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs of all time, with 15,109 runs at an average of 58.78, with 55 centuries and 79 fifties and a best score of 183. The run chaser will continue his journey as an ODI-exclusive player with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup. He will feature in a five-match ODI series against New Zealand away from home from November 4 onwards, and then in three ODIs against Sri Lanka at home from December 13 onwards, to end the calendar year.
Gayle on Windies' Record Run-Chase
On West Indies' (WI) record-breaking run-chase against India in the second T20I, which saw the two-time T20 World Cup champions chase 250 courtesy of a 45-ball ton from skipper Shai Hope and a monstrous 84 in 37 balls from Sherfane Rutherford, Gayle lauded the batters and highlighted the lack of help for bowlers in Indian conditions. "I must say well done to Shai Hope, the captain, leading from the front, he is in superb form as well. I saw Rutherford got an 80-odd as well and Shepherd, you know, chipping in with some runs. But it is actually, you know, great for cricket. But I think the bowlers are a bit upset because 240, 250 becomes easy to chase down now in T20 cricket. And it just goes to show that sometimes the toss is a bit important as well, especially in India conditions. The toss is very important because those wickets are very flat, and then you have the dew factor as well, so it is going to be even more difficult for bowlers to get the hold of that ball. So, as I said, I am happy the West Indies have levelled the series, and hopefully they can go on to win the toss and win the series again," he signed off.
Shai Hope's Statistical Rise
Between 2017 and 2023, Hope featured in 26 T20Is, scoring 493 runs in 24 innings at an average of 22.41 and a strike rate of 124.49, with two fifties. His T20I stats have seen a massive glow-up since 2024, scoring 1,404 runs in 46 matches and innings at an average of 37.95 and a strike rate of 145.95, with two centuries and 11 fifties and a best score of 102*.
Hope is WI's fifth-highest T20I run-getter with 1,897 runs in 72 matches and 70 innings at an average of 32.15 and a strike rate of 139.69, with two centuries and 13 fifties. He is the only player besides Gayle and Evin Lewis (two each) to have multiple T20I centuries.
This year, in 14 T20Is, Hope has scored 494 runs in 14 innings at an average of 44.91 and a strike rate of 145.72, with a century and four fifties and a best score of 102*.
Overall in T20s, Hope has scored 6,246 runs in 232 matches and 227 innings at an average of 31.86 and a strike rate of 129.63, with five centuries and 32 fifties and a best score of 118*.
Coming to the ODIs, the batter is WI's second-highest century-getter with 21 tons, just five away from toppling Chris Gayle (25 tons). Hope has scored 6,590 runs at an average of 51.48 with 21 tons and 32 fifties in 158 matches and 152 innings.
This year is shaping up to be WI skipper's best year across formats, with 1,229 runs scored in 27 matches and 28 innings at an average of 53.43 and a strike rate of almost 88, including four centuries and seven fifties, including a best score of 162*.
WI vs India: Second T20I Match Recap
Coming to the match, WI won the toss and opted to bowl first. Knocks from Sanju Samson (82 in 41 balls, with nine fours and four sixes), Ishan Kishan (43 in 22 balls, with six fours and two sixes), Tilak Verma (44* in 18 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (40 in 18 balls, with three fours and three sixes) took India to 249/5 in 20 overs.
Even though India had WI down at 58/3 in 5.1 overs, Hope (102* in 45 balls, with six fours and nine sixes), Sherfane Rutherford (84 in 37 balls, with seven fours and seven sixes) and Romario Shepherd (34* in 13 balls, with three fours and three sixes) helped WI chase down the target in 18.3 overs with six wickets in hand.
The 501 runs scored is the second-highest aggregate in a T20I match, next to 517 scored by WI and South Africa at Centurion in 2023. Also, the boundary count of 79 (46 fours and 33 sixes) was the third-highest in a T20I, was the third-best in a T20I match, with 81 (46 fours and 35 sixes) between SA and WI in 2023 being the highest. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)