Chris Gayle wishes India, South Africa luck ahead of T20 WC final

Bridgetown [Barbados], June 29 (ANI): After expressing his desire to celebrate with the winning team of the ICC T20 World Cup, legendary West Indies opener Chris Gayle, wished luck to both the finalists, India and South Africa.

The two undefeated sides in this edition, India and South Africa will clash for the T20 World Cup title in Barbados on Saturday. While the Proteas recorded an authoritative nine-wicket defeat to end Afghanistan’s dream campaign, India defeated England by 68 runs and took revenge for their defeat in the semis of the 2022 edition.

“Good luck to both teams, India and South Africa,” Gayle said in a video by ANI.

Ahead of the finals, Gayle, one of the brand ambassadors of the tournament, said in a press conference, “Whoever wins the tournament, I will celebrate with them.”

Gayle, who played along with Virat Kohli for RCB, backed the stalwart batter to bounce back and create a spectacle in the game that matters most, the T20 World Cup final.

“These things happen to superstars or world-class players such as Virat. We know how dominant he has been in previous World Cups. A bat patch, it can happen to anybody. But the good thing about it, he is in the final, and sometimes big players can be called upon and step up and win the actual game for the team as well. So you cannot write off a player like Virat Kohli without a doubt. We know how special he is, so we just have to wait and see what he delivers tomorrow,” Gayle said during a media conference.

Reflecting in his own achievements as a key member of the West Indies side to lift the trophy in 2012 and 2016, the destructive opening batter shed light on the euphoria of final wins over Sri Lanka and England respectively.

The man, known as the Universe Boss, also indicated the West Indies side commemorated both tournament victories with rings, and the 44-year-old revealed his plans to pass down the keepsakes to his future generations.

“I have so many treasured items from my career but my two rings for winning (T20) World Cups are the standouts,” Gayle said.

“They are like Super Bowl rings, almost physical proof that you have climbed to the top of the mountain and become champions of the world.”

“When she is older, I will give both of my rings – for being part of the West Indies sides that won the T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016 – to my daughter and I cannot wait for that moment.”

“I will tell her to keep one, and then pass the other one down to my future grandchildren, and I am so proud to keep them in our family for generations.”

“I promise the winners, it is the most amazing feeling in the world,” he concluded.

Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal

South Africa Squad: Quinton de Kock(w), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram(c), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Ryan Rickelton.