By IANS
New Delhi : The swashbuckling West Indies captain Chris Gayle, one of the highest paid players in Indian Premier League (IPL), has an impressive record in India and is confident that he will be a huge success in the multi-million dollar Twenty20 tournament.
“India has always brought the best out in me; I have a good record there. I think I am right in saying that six of my 15 one-day centuries were scored in India so it shows how I enjoy playing there. I enjoy playing cricket there because the crowd really gets involved and love to be entertained,” Gayle was quoted as saying in a cricket website.
The left-hander admitted that his exorbitant prize in the IPL did take him by surprise and he is now eager to prove his mettle.
“I was satisfied with my price as $800,000 is certainly a lot of money. I had no idea my valuation would be so high so I have no complaints this time. It’s going to be exciting to be part of it.
“People have suggested that Twenty20 is perfect for me and I suppose it is because it’s all about entertainment. It’s a short and fast game and though it might look easy, it’s a lot more intense than the longer forms of the game and it does take plenty out of you still,” said Gayle, only player to score a century in the first ever Twenty20 World Cup last year.
Gayle snapped by Kolkata IPL team for a whopping $800,000 (Rs 32 million), will rub shoulders with veterans Sourav Ganguly and Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
“One of the most exciting aspects to the IPL for me will be playing in the same team as the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting. These are all world-class players and it’s great to be part of. I would hope we can all learn off one another,” he said.