Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) batsman Mayank Agarwal, on Saturday, 6th April, confirmed that the flamboyant West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has recovered from a back injury and achieved his match fitness.
The in-form destructive batsman was forced to miss KXIP’s last IPL 2019 match against Delhi Capitals (DC) that they won by 14-runs thanks to Sam Curran’s four wickets, which included a hat-trick.
However, Agarwal did not reveal whether Gayle would feature in KXIP’s next match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Speaking to media on the eve of Saturday’s match against CSK, Agarwal said, “I can’t tell you whether he (Chris Gayle) is playing or not (laughs), but he is fit.”
However, the three-time IPL champions are coming into the match after having suffered their first loss in the IPL 2019 so far a 37-run loss against Mumbai Indians, but Agarwal doesn’t believe that defeat will have any impact on CSK.
The Karnataka batsman said that the hosts are an experienced side and simply ruthless at home, and KXIP need to stick to their strengths and keep backing themselves here.
Agarwal continued, “It (CSK) is a quality outfit and it knows the ground well. It is an experienced side and it is quite ruthless when it comes to Chepauk or elsewhere. The important thing for us would be to stick to our strengths and do what we are doing well. We can take a lot of heart from the last game. Keep believing, keep backing and keep executing our skills. And if we do that and stick to our process, we should play good cricket. From there, the result will take care of itself.”
So far in the ongoing IPL 2019, KXIP has lost one of their 4 matches in the tournament, and Agarwal said winning close games has always boosted the team’s morale referring their close win against the DC.
He added, “If you win games like those, it will boost your morale and confidence. In IPL, you play a lot of close games. If you win more often than lose, it’s obviously good. It was very important that we kept believing and it was great to see us execute our skills to the best of our abilities.”
While praising Captain R Ashwin, Bengaluru lad was impressed the way off-spinner leads the team in the tournament while said he is excited to lead KXIP against CSK in from of the home crowd at Chepauk where he plays domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu.
The 28-year-old added, “He is a thinking cricketer. There is a lot of planning as to why we are playing a particular batsman or a bowler and where we are using them. He is excited to come here, obviously, this is home for him when he plays domestic cricket. It should be good and he is looking forward to the challenge.”
Agarwal signed off by saying, “He is giving responsibility to people and defining the roles of each person in a straightforward manner. That actually helps the team and helps the individual prepare accordingly.”
(With PTI Inputs)
