IPL 2021 | Everyone expects me to be the next Chris Gayle, states Evin Lewis
Rajasthan Royals opener Evin Lewis has stated that everyone expects him to be the next Chris Gayle and that it is a great task to fill his shoes. The left-hand batsman further added that coming to Rajasthan Royals in place of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes does not add pressure to his batting in IPL.
West Indies opener Evin Lewis was roped into the Rajasthan Royals side after Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes opted out of the IPL 2021 UAE leg. Lewis was part of the Mumbai Indians side in 2018 and 2019 before joining Rajasthan Royals in the second leg of IPL 2021. The left-hand batsman scored 36 runs off 21 balls against Punjab Kings on his return to IPL as Rajasthan Royals won the match by two runs in a last-ball thriller which swung in favour of the Sanju Samson-led side.
Lewis, known for his aggressive batting style, has scored 1,318 runs from 45 T20Is with an impressive strike rate of 158.03. His brilliant performances with the bat have made everyone feel that he could be the next Chris Gayle. Speaking on his comparisons with Gayle, Lewis stated that it is a great task to fill his shoes.
“Everyone has that expectation and keeps saying if I am going to be the next Chris Gayle. We have to wait and see. Only time will tell. To be honest those are big shoes to fill. Chris is a supportive guy. When we bat together and if I am having a good game, he will just rotate strike. Many bowlers fear him but he will not get into the action if his partner is doing well. We share a good relationship and I keep learning from him”, Lewis told TOI.
Further, talking about joining the Rajasthan Royals squad, Lewis stated that coming in place of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes has not added pressure to his batting. The 29-year-old also asserted that he worked very hard to make a comeback into the IPL.
“Coming in place of Buttler and Stokes doesn't put pressure on me. My job is to go out there and give good starts. Kumar Sangakkara (RR mentor) has welcomed me. It feels great to be back in the IPL. I had to work very hard for it,” Lewis added.
The T20 World Cup is all set to begin from October 17 and West Indies are hopeful of defending their title in the ICC mega event. Lewis believes that West Indies will first have to win their group matches against tough oppositions like Australia, South Africa and England before planning out their next move.
“There will be pressure on us because we have two T20 titles. We need to first get out of the group stage. It's a tough group. That's the first step we have to take,” Lewis said.
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