New Delhi: Legendary West Indian opener Chris Gayle will enter the first match of 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) knowing well enough that he needs just 63 runs to become the first player to score 10,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket.
Gayle, 37, in known for destruction and has been a batting mainstay for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for some time. And today, when the Bengaluru-based team takes on IPL defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Jamaican will look to score some quick runs, and if possible, breach that 10k-mark.
The right-handed batsman has almost all the batting records in T20. He has most centuries (18), half-centuries (60), sixes (732) and fours (759), all from 286 matches.
But becoming the first player to reach 10000 runs will be huge milestone for him.
Talking about achieving the feat, he told Hindustan Times, “That will be incredible. It would be an achievement. It’s not easy. So many guys have done it in international cricket with over 10,000 runs in Test and ODIs."
In the absence skipper Virat Kohli and mercurial AB de Villiers, and also the talent of KL Rahul, Gayle will need to play sensible knocks early in the innings.
And if he manages to do just that in the first match, then there is realistic chance of the big West Indian becoming the first player to hit 10000 runs.
“I will be the first to score 10,000 runs in T20s. I backed myself and will keep pressing down to see how many more runs I can add on, ” he added.
