Behind entertainer Chris Gayle, man with a heart
IT’S NOT like we needed another reminder, but at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, Chris Gayle showed why he is the Big Easy of the cricket world. A strapping giant who ambles on to the ground, loosens his shoulders and adjusts his vice-like grip on the bat ominously before each delivery, and then tees off. And yes he does make it look like he’s on a serene driving range rather than the midst of a high-pressure cauldron. Just ask the English. But then he reveals to your amazement that behind the simple six-hitting swagger is a ticking brain that is actually trained to accept both boom and bust in equal measure. That Chris Gayle is ‘prepared for the worst’. (Full Coverage|| Fixtures||Photos)
“In cricket or otherwise, I always prepare for the worst. So when that (the worst) actually comes, your mind can deal with it from as early as possible and flush it out of your system,” Gayle tells The Indian Express.
It’s the day before West Indies’ opening World T20 clash against England, and the 36-year-old has just settled down with his long feet stretched out on the dressing-room balcony. The only sign of the cricketing wanderlust that has turned him into a global T20 phenomenon are the few strands of grey in the beard. Till minutes ago, Gayle was in the middle, hitting balls into orbit or living up to that other reputation, of being his teammates’ ultimate source for entertainment. Now, his face is bereft of emotion, the expression very placid.
READ: Gayle makes molehill out of run-mountain
He is someone who loves to laugh. But he also admits to dealing with the pressure of being ‘Chris Gayle’ at all times, about being the man who everyone gravitates towards for a laugh or at times just a release from the pressures of professional sport. Like with Gayle the batsman, there’s a lot more to Gayle the person, the side that he claims, ‘the world doesn’t get to see’.
On the field and in the virtual space, whether he’s dancing the Gangnam or tweeting in his inimitable style, Gayle is the embodiment of ‘cool’, but those around him here as well as in his native Kingston rave equally about his penchant to ‘give back to the community’. And it was on Instagram that he first came across Lee-Anna Walker and the 17-year-old Jamaican student’s life-threatening fight with leukemia in mid-February. Within days, he had not only met the girl and her mother in person, Gayle also decided to donate $20,000 for her treatment.
“Lee-Anna has never missed a day in school, and her reports clearly show that she’s a bright student. Unfortunate that she’s missing her pre-university exams. She was so sweet and didn’t look worried at all, and I want to ensure she overcomes this,” he says.
Gayle himself is no stranger to overcoming odds. He grew up in a one-room house and life wasn’t always easy. But it’s from his mother that he insists to have learnt the art of laughing through adversity.
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“She says some crazy stuff and you have to laugh. That particular side comes from my mom. I get goosebumps when I think about the crazy names she used to call me by,” he says.
As his career has progressed, Gayle’s tendency to be the comic relief has made him the life of every dressing-room that he has inhabited. More often than not, it’s been by choice.
“My thing has always been saying crazy stuff in a funny way. (Ramnaresh) Sarwan used to say I should have a comedy show. I have been like that from the time I joined the West Indies dressing-room. But I have also learnt to understand everyone, and know who can be made fun of and who doesn’t like it. Even if you don’t like me you will laugh though,” he says as his face lights up.
He also admits to being moody on certain days, when ‘I don’t feel it’ but not like he’s allowed to be like that for long.
“Sometimes if I sit quietly, they come to me and say, “What’s wrong with you? You ok?” If they have an after-party, and if I don’t go they will call me and say Chris you have to come. They just want me to be there. And when I go there, everything just changes,” he says.
Throughout the conversation, Gayle reiterates his view about ‘living the way you want to’ but reveals a unique paradox when he says, “The life I try to live is a carefree life. It’s like you don’t care but you do care. I sum it up like that.”
But being Chris Gayle is not always easy, and he’s aware that his penchant for ‘living life to the fullest and speaking his mind’ can also be misunderstood and even attract controversy. You remind him about being Da Boss of Kingston and how youngsters in Jamaica and worldwide look up to him as a role model. While he realizes the responsibility that comes with being a folk hero, he doesn’t agree that it needs to have a bearing on his approach to life.
“Even though I’m a role model, I have my life to live as well. I will definitely think about the youngsters in a particular way, but they got to know that’s Chris Gayle’s life. Ok, I like him for his cricket and I can take bits and pieces from it but off the field issues, I might not follow that line,” he explains.
“One minute you’re here, another minute you’re gone. So when you get an opportunity, to be the best at something, you should try and do it for as long as possible until your last breath,” he adds.
And it’s a way of life that he remains loyal to whether it’s when he’s taking bowling attacks apart, being the life of dressing-rooms and parties or trying his best to save a young life.
