WT20: Virat Kohli, please don't fire in the semis, says Chris Gayle

Windies' hard-hitter Chris Gayle bats in the nets at Brabourne yesterday. Inset: Virat Kohli

West Indian big-hitter Chris Gayle has warned Indian bowlers to be cautious against him in tomorrow's ICC World T20 second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium.

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Windies' hard-hitter Chris Gayle bats in the nets at Brabourne yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The 2012 World T20 champions sweated it out in the nets for a good two-and-a-half-hours at the Cricket Club of India's (CCI) Brabourne Stadium yesterday while only Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey turned up from the Indian camp for an optional training session.

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Gayle, who scored an unbeaten 47-ball-100 against England in their World T20 opener at the Wankhede Stadium, was seen hitting some big shots over the fence during the 30-odd minutes he batted in the nets.

He said that he would play positive, attacking cricket against the Indians tomorrow.

Virat Kohli

"I will be prepared, I will be mentally ready for whichever bowler he (India captain MS Dhoni) will bring on. Whether it's R Ashwin also or there are so many bowlers… even (Ashish) Nehra is bowling well. He is very good with the new ball. We just have to keep our eyes open and play according to the situation. Chris Gayle will always be positive. It doesn't matter which bowler is bowling against him. Chris Gayle will look to attack. That's the nature of T20 cricket, and that's the nature of Chris Gayle," said the 36-year-old.

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Conversely, Gayle is hoping India's in-form Virat Kohli does not get going against them. "Hopefully, he won't get runs against us. I am hoping… 'please don't fire, Virat'. He is in good form and it's a good (Wankhede) wicket as well, so anything's possible. We have to play to our strength and take it from there. We are not going to focus only on Virat. It is a huge Indian team. Their batting line-up is superb though Virat is the stand-out man at this point in time. But they, just like us, have many match-winners," said Gayle.