Exclusive: Usain Bolt got me out in cricket, but I can beat him in 100 metres, says Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss, offered a big smile when Khaleej Times spoke to him over Zoom for an exclusive interview. The 41-year-old West Indies superstar said it was his explosive batting in T20s that helped change the way batmen play Test cricket now.

The Jamaican, who is defending the colours of Team Abu Dhabi in T10, also backed the shortest format of the game to get into the Olympics before opening up on his friendship with his countryman Usain Bolt.

Q. How does it feel to be playing the T10 tournament again after two years?

Yeah, it’s good to be back, like you said, I have been out for two years, missing the shortest format of the game. I have seen some new faces, seen a lot of youngsters, so it’s good to see youngsters getting opportunities, they can really be exposed to lot of franchises leagues around the world. It’s really good. But from a personal point of view, it’s good to be back and part of Team Abu Dhabi.

Q. Some of the players believe bringing the T10 to Abu Dhabi for Sharjah has given the bowlers a better chance to compete. Do you agree?

Yeah, absolutely. Here in Abu Dhabi, it’s fantastic. We know what Sharjah was like, a small ground, so, you know. The bowlers could get upset about the short boundaries in Sharjah. But here in Abu Dhabi, the batters, you know, they get value for your shots, and the bowlers can put in their skills as well. Overall, it’s a fantastic ground here, very good wicket, lovely conditions for T10 cricket. Like I said, Abu Dhabi, well done!

Q. Is T10 the ideal format for making cricket a global sport like football?

Absolutely, I heard some talk about getting it into Olympics. That would be nice, to have T10 in Olympics. We can maybe spread the game a bit more, globally. It will be fantastic to have more T10s around the world, not only here in Abu Dhabi, but you know. It’s just a huge thing to have happened here. You just need to market it properly to spread it around the world, so we just have to wait and see how it goes. But I think it should happen now.

Q. You are 41 now. But you are still playing so well, showing your old form in the 2020 IPL? You have only recently said that you would continue until 45. So, what has been the secret to your longevity? And what still motivates you to make the sacrifices, go for training every day?

To be 41 young, it’s a fantastic feeling. I have had my struggle, over the years with injuries, back problems, and, you know, many times, I doubted if I was going to survive this long. But, you know, looking after myself, taking care of my body. I am still enjoying the game. I am not going to lie, there’s was one stage when I said, ‘okay, that’s it, I had enough now’, and then the fans were like, ‘don’t leave, don’t leave, don’t leave’. So that actually gave me a bit of drive again, you know, the fans said, ‘don’t leave, we want you to play as long as possible’. Even guys who actually retired, they said, ‘don’t retire’. Most of them regret retiring. And they said, ‘Chris, if you can play the game as long as possible, do it, you know, because we made a mistake by walking away from the game that quickly’. They probably had more in them, but because of other difficulties, other different things, they stepped away from the game. So they said, ‘once you are seeing the ball, Chris, and still enjoying and if you still have the passion for the game, just continue as long as possible’. So, I said, ‘okay, you guys might have to use the wheelchair to get me out to the middle to bat, so (laughs), I won’t walk away from the game. I will try to play as long as possible, but you know, with all respect, anything can happen down the road, you know, something can come across, but for now, I am definitely willing to play on.

Q. No batsman has made T20s as exciting as you. How does it feel when youngsters, especially in the Caribbean, look up to you when they start their journeys in the shorter formats of the game?

Yeah, absolutely, when I look back now, I see what I have done in T20 cricket, and I have even been branded as the T20 player. It as if 50 overs or the Test cricket, it doesn’t really matter, like it wasn’t there. But you know, like I said, I am not worried about that. Since I have been branded as the T20 cricketer, I think I have actually changed the game completely, from a personal point of view, what I have done, set the tone from that World Cup (2007) in South Africa, in getting the first T20 hundred (117 off 57 balls in the first match of the tournament against the home team). So that made people believe that it was possible to score a hundred in this format as well. With T20 cricket, Test cricket actually changed, 50 overs format actually changed. You are getting more runs, batters have become more aggressive as well. And I am glad that I am that one person who, actually, helped change the game for the batters as well. The most youngsters, you know, want to play T20 cricket, because that’s what they want, the entertainment, it can change a life, make a living out of it as well.

Q. Like you said, people have branded you as the T20 player. But you were also a superb Test player and among the select few players to have scored two triple centuries, others being Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag. Does your Test record (Matches 103, Runs 7,214 runs, 100s 15, average 42.18) give you as much satisfaction as your achievements in white-ball cricket?