Mirpur: Their sagging morale lifted after a thumping win over Pakistan, Indian spinners will now have to brace up for the ever-dangerous Chris Gayle when the team squares off against defending champion West Indies in its second match of the ICC World Twenty20 Championships on Sunday.
A victory against Pakistan was just the kind of shot in the arm that was required before facing a team that has world’s most devastating T20 batsman in Gayle.
Gayle has minimum footwork as he believes in stand and hit technique. With Ashwin successfully employing a round the wicket technique to bottle up batsman and Mishra inviting him to come out by flighting his deliveries, it will be a challenge for Gayle to devise a counter strategy.
While spinners will hold the key, Dhoni would also expect that Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami don’t bowl length balls to Gayle as it has a chance of consistently landing in the stands. However, Indian bowlers will also have to deal with an attacking batsman like Dwayne Smith, who has the ability to hit over the in-field during Powerplay overs
