KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Chris Gayle will not be drawn into a false sense of believing that West Indies can manhandle India’s depleted side in their imminent One-day International series.
The West Indies captain has insisted that even though India is not at full strength, and they are without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, and Suresh Raina, the visitors still pose a clear and present danger to his side.
“India still has quality players to step up, and they have a lot of experience in ODI cricket so it’s not a situation where we will say it’s a walkover, it’s never a walkover against India,” said Gayle.
“They still have quality players, they have Yuvraj [Singh], Harbhajan Singh, [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni, and [Ishant] Sharma, a lot of guys to give us a lot of trouble.”
Gayle believes the first ODI on Friday at Sabina Park would be crucial to setting the tone for the brief series of four matches.
“We’re all looking forward to it,” said Gayle. “India is always a good ODI team and they will be looking to beat us based on their Twenty20 [World Cup] disappointment.”
Gayle raised eyebrows in England with comments that he was considering quitting the captaincy and – indeed – Test matches, but he again gave the reassurance that he has no plans of leaving the job anytime soon. “The support has been brilliant, the guys gave me their full support and I gave them the same sort of support and respect which they deserve,” he said.
“It’s been enjoyable. Captaining the West Indies has done a lot for me individually, and I’m really happy and grateful to be captaining West Indies and the entire region.
“It’s a privilege and hopefully I can continue from strength to strength and give everyone something to cheer about. Hopefully, we can wrap up this series and I am looking forward to a lot of things.”
The second ODI takes place on Sunday at the same venue before the series switches to St. Lucia for the last two ODIs at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on July 3 and 5.
