The Test match season has begun in the UK and the IPL is about to conclude in the sub-continent. It has been a delight to see two West Indians in two different continents, playing two completely different forms of the same game in two completely contrasting styles. Shivnaraine Chadrapaul and Chris Gayle would arguably be the next best thing to Lara that West Indies have produced.
Both Shiv and Chris, would go down as two of the finest cricketers from the Caribbean. As a fan when you watch them, they both leave you awe-struck, though for completely different reasons. Gayle mesmerizes you with his brute force and power hitting and Shiv casts a magic spell which makes you forget when he had started batting in the innings. If Gayle is a bulldozer which can run over any bowling attack, Shiv is the slow-steady but more importantly a perpetual grinder which never stops. Nevertheless, they both inflict immense pain on the opposition bowlers. Shiv's exploits result in slow death and Gayle's result in a savage butchering.
Chris Gayle has the ability to take the game away in a span of 15 minutes. He keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes six hitting look so incredibly easy. With Chris Gayle in a particular team, you just cannot rule that team out, whatever the target they may be chasing. Gayle is brutal, he massacares the opposition. Despite all this, one of the greatest aspects of his batting has been the consistency with which Gayle has demolished bowling attacks. Another great aspect about Gayle's batting has been the fact that there has been a lot of method to his batting. He has brought a lot of thought process to his batting. This has made life all the more difficult for the opposition bowlers. Right from the moment he has donned the Bangalore clothing, Gayle's batting has felt the opposition and spectators gaping. His century against Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla in IPL-5 was the innings which is a testimony to the fact that there is a lot of thought process into his batting.
Chanders has never known what it is to throw his wicket away. He doesn't blow the opposition away but slowly grinds them. He loves batting and he can do it all day. The concentration with which he bats is incredible. Nothing perturbs him. Even if wickets are falling at the others or if the runs are tied down, he continues to bat the way he knows the best. He has been an epitome of determination, tenacity and grit. He might not be the 'pleasing to they eye' kind of cricketer, but he is certainly one of the most effective. The problem for him has been the lack of support he has got from his other team mates.
Despite having such contrasting styles, Both Chanders and Gayle have a few things in common, barring the fact that they both are from the West Indies. They both are batsman with fantastic ability. Above all, lately the consistency with which both these batsman have batted has been fantastic. They have left the aficionados of the game awe-struck, not just with the number of runs they scored (and in Chris Gayle's case the manner in which he scored) but also how consistently they have been able to get these big scores albeit in completely different environments.
West Indies cricket is in crisis. There are so many problems which hindering the progress of cricket in West Indies. It is the need of the hour that two of the finest Caribbean batsman of this decade play together for the West Indies and help it revive back. West Indies is really important for the cricketing world simply because of the unique brand of cricket they play and the atmosphere they create. It is really sad to see where the state of cricket has reached. With the contrasting styles of Chanders and Gayle, they could really complement each other well and help take West Indies back to the good old days
Both Shiv and Chris, would go down as two of the finest cricketers from the Caribbean. As a fan when you watch them, they both leave you awe-struck, though for completely different reasons. Gayle mesmerizes you with his brute force and power hitting and Shiv casts a magic spell which makes you forget when he had started batting in the innings. If Gayle is a bulldozer which can run over any bowling attack, Shiv is the slow-steady but more importantly a perpetual grinder which never stops. Nevertheless, they both inflict immense pain on the opposition bowlers. Shiv's exploits result in slow death and Gayle's result in a savage butchering.
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| The Perpetual Grinder |
Despite having such contrasting styles, Both Chanders and Gayle have a few things in common, barring the fact that they both are from the West Indies. They both are batsman with fantastic ability. Above all, lately the consistency with which both these batsman have batted has been fantastic. They have left the aficionados of the game awe-struck, not just with the number of runs they scored (and in Chris Gayle's case the manner in which he scored) but also how consistently they have been able to get these big scores albeit in completely different environments.
West Indies cricket is in crisis. There are so many problems which hindering the progress of cricket in West Indies. It is the need of the hour that two of the finest Caribbean batsman of this decade play together for the West Indies and help it revive back. West Indies is really important for the cricketing world simply because of the unique brand of cricket they play and the atmosphere they create. It is really sad to see where the state of cricket has reached. With the contrasting styles of Chanders and Gayle, they could really complement each other well and help take West Indies back to the good old days
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