IPL 5: Gayle wants to be an allrounder for RCB

Mumbai: Having smashed the bowlers around with impunity in the Indian Premier League (IPL), West Indian batting powerhouse Chris Gayle is ready to roll his arm over as well and chip in for Royal Challengers Bangalore. "I want to play my part with both bat and bowl. I am ready for the chance whenever the captain asks me," he told PTI.
While Gayle has amassed 250 runs, the highest for the Bangalore franchise, in seven games, he has bowled only a few overs and gone wicket-less. The former Windies skipper, who has a top score of 87 this IPL season and a strike rate of plus 150, is happy with his display so far and hoped he can continue to perform well for the remainder of the tournament.


"It is good to get some runs at the start. Hopefully can continue and capitalise on the start and try and make the best use of it. You want to start good and have runs under the belt. You don't want to leave it too late. It is going to be a key as well going into the tournament. As a player you want to start well and have some confidence. It is a situation where you get a start but you don't want to settle for it and want to keep going."
About the number of last ball or last over results in this season, Gayle said the credit should go to the bowlers of various teams. "Sometimes you need to give credit to the bowler as well. Bowlers try to restrict the batsmen and then the last one or two overs can change the game. But it also depends on the number of wickets you have. Guys bowl well and you have to appreciate that," he observed.
Gayle said that it has been a very close tournament so far with only Deccan Chargers without a victory under their belt.
"Honestly it is going to be tough (to predict about teams finishing in the top 4 and qualify for the play-offs) as all the teams are playing well. Deccan are the only team who haven't won a game yet. Later on things might be difficult for all the teams. It is a situation where everyone is neck and neck."