VIDEO | Hyderabad crowd goes crazy as Chris Gayle dons wicket-keeping gloves
Though Chris Gayle is named the ‘Universe Boss’ for his ruthless ability with the bat, fans often forget he too has limitations. The crowd saw one such incident as they went crazy on seeing Gayle donning KL Rahul’s wicket-keeping gloves only to be left disappointed as the Indian returned in no time.
Apart from his batting skills that can keep the crowd entertained as long as he stays on the field, Gayle, like most of his compatriots, is an entertainer without the willow as well. When he isn’t batting, the giant Windies veteran has often been seen picking up on his teammates or pulling pranks at the hotel rooms.
The match between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad gave the crowd another such avatar of Gayle. With the hosts down to 27/3 in the first five overs, KXIP hardly had to worry about the run rate with the match pretty much under their control. Barinder Sran had almost taken Shakib-al-Hasan’s wicket in the sixth over too, before it was called a no-ball.
While the field officials were confirming his stepping upstairs, KXIP wicketkeeper KL Rahul took the opportunity for a break to return to his dugout. Gayle found his gloves kept behind the stumps and became the wicketkeeper. The entertainer sat on his haunches and practiced a stumping drill and even asked the bowler to bowl to him, giving the crowd a good illusion that he would temporary take Rahul’s place. The crowd voiced their excitement on seeing the Windies star with the gloves and were quick to give their seal of approval.
However, all their excitement was flushed down the gutter as Rahul was seen jogging to the ground soon and Gayle handed the gloves to his teammate and returned to his fielding position.