If you look at the current players, there is no doubt that Gayle is the most destructive player as of now. He is not just destructive but also a consistent performer. He not only scores an occasional century but also regularly scores runs at a good rate. It is his consistency which is one of his major strengths. Gayle is a player on whom one can depend.
He is also a good bowler and fielder. He is a player who cheers up his teammates and people like him having around. His casual and relaxed nature makes him favourite among the fans and teammates. It is not fair to say that he is the most destructive batsman of all time because there are always good players who will come after him. Gayle will go down in history as one of the best players in T20 cricket and a role model for others.
One cannot compare cricketers across different eras
It is not correct to say that he is the most destructive batsman that we have ever seen. One cannot make comparisons across eras. In the past, we had Vivian Richards, who was a good player, and a fast scorer but he lived in an era where there was no T20 and one-day internationals were still in their infancy. There were also Gary Sobers, Graham Pollock and Brian Lara who never had a chance to play in T20s.
Gayle is a destructive batsman. His sheer height and physical strength make him an intimidating player. He is like Matthew Hayden, who intimidates bowlers with his strength. It is also wrong to compare him to other players of the same era, like Afridi or Jayasuriya, because he is at the top of his form at present. Afridi scored a 37-ball 100 in an ODI while Gayle scored his century in a T20 match. In the past seven or eight years, he has matured as a player. Earlier, he used to play recklessly and throw his wicket away, but now he plays responsibly and doesn’t start attacking till he gets his eye in.
Gayle is also better than Afridi and Sehwag, but not Dhoni
Gayle is not the most destructive batsman. Dhoni is a better player than him, though Gayle has more experience. He scored a century in T20 cricket and not in one-day or Test matches. T20 is more challenging as one has less balls to score a century and there are wickets falling all the time at the other end. Gayle is also better than Afridi and Sehwag because he is a more consistent performer. He is relaxed and down to earth.
He never gets involved in any unnecessary controversies
Gayle’s performance in IPL was once in a lifetime. He never scored anything like this before and he will never score anything like it in future. It was also a good batting track, which was completely flat and this helped him score runs as fast as he could. However, he is not the most destructive batsman in the history of the game. One can say he is the best batsman in the T20 version but not in all versions. In T20, he is an asset to any team. He is also a team player and focuses on the game.
He never gets involved in any unnecessary controversies or badmouths other players. His focus is always on doing well in the game. His main strengths are his timing and power. He is not the most destructive batsman because he has only a few such explosive knocks. There are players like Saeed Anwar, who were also destructive. He scored 194 against India in a 50-over match. Such players never got a chance to play in T20 cricket.
Score against Warriors was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion
Chris Gayle is not the most destructive batsman in the history of the game. In T20 cricket, he is one of the most destructive players but not such a good performer in the Test and ODIs. His performance against Warriors was once-in-a-lifetime occasion. There is no way that such a thing can ever happen again. Gayle’s strength is his powerful hitting.
In IPL, there is nobody who has dominated the way he has. He has adapted to different pitches in different countries. It is said that foreign players find it difficult to score runs on Indian pitches but Gayle has done it with ease. This shows his ability to adapt. His modesty stands out. Even after his 175 knock on Tuesday, he was modest about it.
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