IPL 2016: Kohli laughs off concerns about Gayle’s form

After scoring a century against England in West Indies’ opening match of the World T20, Chris Gayle has been in a poor run, scoring 4, 5, 4, 1 and 0 in his last five T20 innings. Although Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scored 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and 191 against Delhi Daredevils without the West Indian’s contribution, the home team found the going tough on Sunday night against DD after Quinton de Kock went berserk in a seven-wicket win. Speaking to the media after their first loss of the season, RCB skipper Virat Kohli brushed off the concerns about the West Indian’s form and expressed hope of seeing the left-hander at his best in the coming games.

"I am sure he will come good at some stage of the tournament. Probably, he may get a hundred for us when it's required the most. I am not too worried about Gayle, because the other guys are stepping up nicely. Cricket is all about grabbing the opportunity, if some others fail.

"Chris takes lot of pride playing for RCB. He has been a standout player for us. I think people just expect a lot out of him every T20 match he plays because he is good at it and has scored 17 centuries, which is not a joke. So, expectations are high and Gayle wants to live up to them, Kohli said, reported ESPNcricinfo.

Apart from Gayle, the other three in the top 4 – Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Shane Watson – have been in good form, scoring big runs in their two matches so far. Kohli and de Villiers starred in both the games scoring half-centuries, while Watson has been responsible for the big hitting in the final overs.

"Well, we got 230 in the first match and then almost 200 in this match, without Gayle firing. Guess what would happen when he fires!. Four guys - Gayle, AB de Villiers, myself and Shane Watson - of international calibre playing in one team, it always helps. You can rely on those four and turn the game for you, said the RCB skipper.

After playing two matches at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, RCB will now travel to Mumbai for their first away match of the season against reigning champions Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night.