“From Jamaica to India….”: legendary batter Chris Gayle meets PM Modi

Kingston [Jamaica], October 2 (ANI): Legendary West Indies batter Chris Gayle met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s visit to India.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Gayle posted videos and pictures of him shaking hands and meeting with PM Modi and other key dignitaries present during Holness’s visit.

“Honor to have met with the Prime Minister of India @narendramodi. Jamaica To India #OneLove,” tweeted Gayle.

The Jamaican PM is on an official visit to India from September 30- October 3. This is his first visit to India, and also the first ever bilateral visit of a Prime Minister of Jamaica to India.

The visiting Prime Minister of Jamaica met PM Modi at Hyderabad House here in the national capital on Tuesday, October 1, and held a bilateral meeting.

The bilateral meeting was followed by delegation-level talks between the two leaders.

India and Jamaica share strong historical and cultural linkages, reflected in their shared colonial past, values of democracy and freedom, and passion for cricket.

Gayle, who has represented the West Indies in international cricket, is one of sport’s biggest ambassadors to India from Jamaica and Caribbean as a whole. An all-format great for West Indies, Gayle scored 19,593 runs at an average of 37.97 in 483 international matches and 551 innings with 42 centuries and 105 fifties from 1999-2021 in a career marked by consistency and ability to adapt to changing times in the sport.

In the second half of his career, Gayle became well-known primarily for his T20 exploits, becoming format’s top run-getter with 14,562 runs in 463 matches at an average of 36.22, with 22 centuries and 88 fifties coming in 455 innings. He also has the highest individual score in T20s, with 175*. The left-handed batter’s big sixes and on-field charisma won over a lot of Indian fans during the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which stints with Royal Challengers Benglauru (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) made him one of the widely followed and loved international cricketers in India.

He is IPL’s eighth-highest run-getter, with 4,965 runs in 142 matches at an average of 39.72, with six centuries and 31 fifties to his name. His best score was 175*.