India vs Pakistan is bigger than Ashes, I’ll go watch it at the ODI World Cup: Chris Gayle

West Indies international Chris Gayle called the India vs Pakistan clash to be a bigger occasion than the Ashes, which is considered the oldest rivalry in the history of the game. Gayle added saying that billions of people tune in to watch it and eventually revealed that the 43-year-old will be at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to catch the action live in the upcoming ODI World Cup.

Notably, India will play their first match against Australia in Chennai before travelling to Delhi in order to host Afghanistan. Pakistan, on the other hand, will play against both the qualifying teams in Hyderabad before travelling to Ahmedabad. Thus, both India and Pakistan will be fully prepared before taking on each other on the big stage, and Gayle is very excited to catch the action.

“India vs Pakistan - that’s bigger than the Ashes. Yes, that’s bigger than Ashes, absolutely. That’s humongous on the world stage. Billions of people watching that. We know what comes. Let’s see what happens on the 15th. I’ll go watch it,” Gayle told The Times of India.

Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav will be most important for India in World Cup

Gayle also went on to add that Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav will be key to India’s success in the World Cup. Notably, the ace pacer is currently out of action and has missed a few of the major tournaments in the last few months but is expected to make his return during India’s tour to Ireland. Suryakumar, meanwhile, is in the scheme of things, but his place is not yet guaranteed. The flamboyant batter is very likely to compete with Shreyas Iyer for a spot in the playing XI, but Gayle nevertheless believes that he can play a vital role in India’s success. 

“Jasprit Bumrah for sure. I am sure he’s going to be back. And young man Surya (Suryakumar Yadav). These two guys (will be key for India),” Gayle mentioned.