Jamaica's sprinter Yohan Blake is a huge fan of cricket. He may have made a name for himself in track and field, but the star athlete wishes to feature in franchise cricket someday.
Blake even wants his kids to play cricket instead of choosing his sports. He feels track and field is a very tough sport. "I am the second-fastest in the world, but track and field is the hardest sport. I do not want my kids to take it up as a career. Instead, I would love them to play cricket," he said.
Blake has come to India to promote the Road Safety World Series which is scheduled to be played next year in February. Star cricketers like Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag will be part of the tournament.
The Olympic medalist reached Mumbai with his girlfriend Laura Pearson. "My girlfriend is a wonderful person. She plays a dual role [manager and partner] in my life. Having her around is an advantage for sure since she keeps me grounded," he said.
Twitterati roasts RCB for their request to NASA to find balls hit by Kohli and De Villiers
Blake expressed a desire to play for Kolkata Knight Riders or Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
"I have two more years left in track and field and then its cricket for me. But, I do not wish to play for the West Indies. I would love to feature in franchise cricket; I would even love to own a franchise in India. And most importantly, play for either Kolkata Knight Riders or the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Chris Gayle [fellow Jamaican] was there for a long time. I love the Bangalore team especially Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Also, the Kolkata team, because Gayle has played for them too," added Blake.
Surprisingly, Yohan has got an offer to feature in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for Jamaica Tallawahs. "Yeah, I got an offer from the Jamaica Tallawahs this year, but I could not take it up because I was focusing on training for the World Championships [Doha], the Olympics coming up and World Championships again [March 2020 in Nanjing, China]. It's a bit tough for me," said Blake.
Blake, who idolizes Sachin from childhood, wants to meet and play with him. "I want to meet him and bowl to him. I am a quick bowler, so I may get him out too."
But when it was time to pick cricket or track and field, he opted the later. "I should have stuck to cricket. But on a serious note, I had asked myself if I wanted to be a fast bowler or the fastest man on earth? I chose to be the fastest human being on earth," Blake said.
(WITH MID-DAY INPUTS)
