Chris Gayle recollects the historic 175 against Pune Warriors India in 2013

Chris Gayle, a name synonymous with brute strength, has revolutionised the art of batting in T20 cricket over the last few years. The talismanic opener has amassed 13,296 runs at an average of 38.20 from 404 matches in the shortest format. 

In episode four of 'Open Nets with Mayank,' Chris Gayle unravelled a few interesting stories and learnings from his illustrative career. During the show, Gayle recollected the iconic knock, in which he pulverized the Pune Warriors' bowling attack with his big-hitting credentials. 

“I remember we were put into bat first and rain interrupted the proceedings after a couple of overs. So we had to return to the dressing room. My West Indies teammate Ravi Rampaul was in the side at that time and I told him that the wicket was a belter. We needed to get a minimum of 170-180 to give ourselves a chance to win the game. Eventually, I walked back into the middle after the rain subsided and I picked up from where I left off, ” Chris Gayle was quoted as saying during the show.

Fielders became spectators and spectators became fielders. The aphorism provides an appropriate snippet of the brutal innings portrayed by the veteran batsman against Pune Warriors India in 2013. 

Chris Gayle's 66-ball stay at the crease was laced with 13 boundaries and 17 sixes. Interestingly, 88.50% of his total runs constituted from boundaries. He further added that it was just one of those days when he felt he couldn't do anything wrong. 

“I was in that flow and rhythm. As a batsman, you get the feeling sometimes that you cannot do anything wrong. And it was one of those days. It was remarkable that I was speaking about a team total of 175 but ended up scoring those many runs myself, ” Gayle added. 

List of notable records held by Chris Gayle in the T20 format

• Chris Gayle is the first batsman to score a century in T20Is. 
• In 2017, Chris Gayle became the first cricketer to complete 10,000 runs in the T20 format. With 13296 runs, Chris Gayle is the highest run-getter.
• He holds the record of registering the most number of sixes (326) in Indian Premier League. 
• Gayle's unbeaten 175-run knock still remains to be the highest individual score in IPL. 
• The Jamaican-born batsman holds the record of scoring the fastest T20 century in just 30 balls.