Chris Gayle is a lot of things. He is a bludgeoner of the cricket ball. He is the poster boy of Twenty20 cricket. He is the king of cool. And contrary to what his critics believe, he is also a great role model for budding Test cricketers.
Granted, during his protracted tussle with the West Indies Cricket Board that coincided with the rise of T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League, the Jamaican batsman had said that he wouldn’t mind if Test cricket gave way to T20s.
But as things turned out, he has kept at it in the longest format of the game and improved his record dramatically along the way.
And now, as he plays his 100th Test for the West Indies – against New Zealand – Gayle has joined a select group of great Caribbean players who changed the way the game was played.
Gayle deserves to be bracketed alongside players like Brian Lara and Sir Viv Richards, not only for his stats, but also for his gamechanging approach.
The left-hander began as a hard-hitting batsman who could bowl some off-spin but the start of his career was plagued by regular bouts of irregular heartbeat. He underwent surgery to correct the congenital defect in 2005 after being regularly forced to abandon innings midway.
It’s a testament to his perseverance that he not only overcame that hurdle, but he also raised his game to a new level.
While for many cricketers, the advent of the IPL in 2008 meant a change in priorities – mainly Test cricket not being on top of the list – Gayle excelled in both formats.
Gayle did choose to be a mercenary T20 player when he was embroiled in a dispute with his home board, but whenever he got a chance, he seized his opportunity in Test cricket.
One simple stat makes it clear that the advent of Twenty20 cricket has only helped his fiveday form. Since 2008, Gayle has amassed 2,359 runs in 30 Tests at a brilliant average of 51.28.
That run includes a monumental 333 against Sri Lanka in 2010 after he had lost his captaincy. It was his second Test triple hundred, making him one of four batsmen to do so.
His fans might forever remember Gayle’s outrageous T20 innings across the world, but one suspects the Jamaican marauder values his 6,933 Test runs a bit more than the countless heaves over midwicket he delivers in a one-and-a-half hour period.
There is a genuine fear among cricket lovers that the next generation of cricketers won’t even bother dreaming of playing Test cricket, hoping to rather excel in T20 leagues and excuse themselves from the rigours of Tests.
Gayle has shown that he might excel in the slam-bang version, but still has the ability and desire to perform in white clothing.
And that players don’t necessarily need to pick one format over the other. Even though his demeanour is that of a laid-back character who simply picks up the bat and goes whack, Gayle has achieved things the hard way and that is the example he sets for future cricketers.
