Kohli, AB, and Gaye are the two driving forces of the RCB franchise. They have given countless memories to fans over the years due to their dominating performances. Chris Gayle recalls an incident by Kohli where the Indian batter kept blocking so that the Universe Boss could score a hundred.
Gayle said
“I remember Virat Kohli kept blocking a few balls when I was on 98 in the first match, he did so I could get to my first IPL hundred,” Gayle said in a chat with former RCB teammate AB de Villiers in an episode of IPL Bold Diaries.
On Tuesday, Chris Gayle recalled Virat Kohli’s incredible act of kindness towards him during The Universe Boss’ first IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Gayle joined RCB in 2011 and made an impact right away with a quick century. Interestingly, Gayle faced his former team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, when he scored the first of his six IPL centuries, but he was in a pickle. When RCB needed just two runs to win and Virat Kohli was on strike, Gayle was batting on 98. Although he was only 22 years old, Kohli had the opportunity to score the winning runs, but he purposefully extended the over to allow Gayle to reach his three-figure milestone.
Gayle’s IPL career was at a turning point when the century occurred. Gayle’s first two seasons with KKR came to a screeching halt with 171 and 292 runs, respectively. The future seems gloomy as he was also released from the West Indies team. Luckily, RCB placed their trust in him to fill in for the injured Dirk Nannes, giving Gayle’s career a new lease on life. The rest, as they say, is history thanks to Gayle’s incredible feats with RCB, where he scored 3163 runs over the course of seven seasons.
“At the time I wasn’t selected for West Indies and didn’t get picked in the IPL as well. There were a lot of talks going around at that time so when I got that call, they asked ‘Chris, are you available?’ I said ‘Yes I am’. I was at the nightclub at the time when I get a call, ‘Chris, go to the embassy tomorrow, pick up the visa, and be on your way’. And when I arrived, the energy, the vibe, and the buzz were pretty much there from the start,” Gayle added.
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