Chris Gayle, arguably the best Twenty20 player today, has tipped India to win the World T20 title saying that MS Dhoni and company are ‘absolutely one of the favourites’.
“I think they fancy themselves to actually win the World Cup, they’ve done it before and they’ve got the team to do it again as well. They’ve got guys who are capable, they’ve got a lot of match winners there in batting and bowling,” the explosive opener said here on Thursday after West Indies’ practice session.
For the Caribbeans, whose credentials to win the title are as good as any other top side in the world given an array of T20 specialists in their ranks, the T20 action really begins only on Saturday against Australia, the day after Gayle turns 33.
Asked if he had any plans for his birthday, Gayle said in jest, “I’m going to spend it with the West Indies women’s team.
“Have a quiet drink and have a laugh… but I’ll look into celebrating after the win against Australia,” he added.
Speaking about the match against Australia, Gayle said: “The main challenge is going to be the first match with the Aussies. If we get past Australia we should know where we're at.
“Even if that doesn't happen we have to make sure we qualify and that would make the game against Ireland vital for us.
“They have upset a lot of big teams so we have to be very mindful of that."
Gayle felt teams like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be tough to beat in conditions familiar to them. “The sub-continent teams are always challenging and the task against them will be difficult. Every team has a chance, but I know once we stick to our plans I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t make it to the final and take it from there,” he remarked.
