Imagine the world’s fastest man in the Indian Premier League, taking on the world’s finest in slam-bang cricket’s ultimate entertainment package.
Usain Bolt versus Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Kevin Pietersen could well be the ultimate draw card in IPL. Now that he has completed his ‘legendary’ mission successfully, can the Jamaican be tempted then to try cricket’s shortest format?
“I definitely love cricket. Twenty20 is the game for me and whenever I get time, I try to catch up with as much IPL action as possible,” Bolt said after his historic double-double at the Olympic Games on Thursday night.
Bolt’s training partner and world champion Yohan Blake is a well-known cricket fan. After winning the world crown in Daegu last year, Blake had stated that cricket was his first love and he would love to play in the IPL one day. Bolt too has confessed his love for cricket in the past, naming Tendulkar and Chris Gayle as his favourite cricketers.
Bolt, who considers himself an all-rounder and has played in a charity game with fellow-Jamaican Gayle, said it would be fun to have a brush with the IPL. “If offered a chance, I will play,” he joked. “I know I have a lot of fans in India.
“You very well know who the biggest star in IPL is -- Chris Gayle. And I have got his wicket. No need to say anything more!”