Chris Gayle – one of the most formidable and explosive batsman that the world of cricket has been privileged to see in the recent years.
The journey of Christopher Henry Gayle is one that befits all the “check-points” of being turned into a movie – drama, controversy, tough times, downs and then ups. Chris Gayle’s story of success is one that is sure to be admired by his fans all across the world and definitely something to note for those who aren’t his fans (duh! Who isn’t!)
We bring you 5 facts associated with the life of Chris Gayle, on the field and off it – as our favorite t20 star is soon turning 37, on September the 21st.
The tough childhood
Many people see Gayle as a freelance cricketer with around 10,000 runs in t20 cricket –who has made it big on all cricketing levels and is no shy of earning the heavy bucks through his contracts but did you know; the childhood phase of Gayle’s life was full of struggles. In a few of his interviews and subsequently in his autobiography, Gayle put the facts straight and explained that his family struggled for 3 times meal in a day and his parents struggled and worked really hard to provide food on the table. It’s perhaps these hard times that have made Gayle the sheer genius that he is. Now, Gayle has a house on a mountain in Jamaica and the whole mountain is owned by the legend – who said hard work doesn’t pay!
The life-changing heart surgery
Not many fans know this and none of the fans knew of this until a few months back until Gayle himself revealed that during the 2005 series down-under (Australia), Gayle was facing some troubles and went for a check-up to be told that he needs a heart surgery as he was diagnosed with a hole in his heart, not telling his parents of this development – Gayle only let his family and friends know of this once he passed through the successful surgery. Gayle labels this phase as a “life-changing moment”.
A true sports star
Gayle is known for his ability to smash massive sixes on the cricket field and while every fan who turns up to watch him hopes to see a “Gayle-storm” strike, the situation wasn’t pretty for a girl fan who turned up to watch Gayle bat at M Chinaswamy Stadium, Bangalore as she was horrifically hit on the nose by a massive six from Gayle; the kind hearted man that he is, Gayle went to see the girl in hospital and wished for her quick recovery – talk about a fan and sports star bond.
The test-match star
Gayle had a point in his career when he was regarded as a great ODI player but a limited test cricket who had never showcased his defensive skills and sheer composure in this arena of cricket; but it changed for good when Gayle hit 333 against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka on a massive turner, shutting his critics for good.
Gayle’s stat, you can’t refuse
Gayle is the only cricketer in the world who has a triple century in tests, double century in ODI’s and a century in t20’s. A record that takes your breath away and to think that someone can beat it – good luck, but there’s one and only Christopher Henry Gayle, we wish the Jamaican legend a very happy 37th