IPL 2018 | Brad Hodge reveals that picking Chris Gayle was not a pre-planned decision

Hodge has pointed out that Gayle’s attitude of taking challenges head-on is what makes him a true legend. In an interview with CricketNext, he also revealed that buying the destructive southpaw wasn’t something Punjab had thought while going into the mega-auctions but didn’t let the chance slip away once he was available.

“To be honest, picking Gayle was a decision we made during the course of the action. When you have someone of his experience available, you don’t really think twice. And he has justified our faith and shown why he is the Universe Boss. He has been brilliant for us and accepted the challenge that lay in front of him with both hands. It is this attitude that separates legends from the others. He will only get better as the tournament progresses,” he said. 

“He had scores of 80 and 140 odd in our first two practice games and showed that he still has the game to succeed against the best. It is just a matter of time that he is back scoring runs. Also, he has been brilliant around the team and that is what is important if you ask me. He is a big personality and youngsters have a lot to learn from him. Expect him to come back strongly,” Hodge said.