West Indies legend Chris Gayle got an opportunity to meet PM Narendra Modi as Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness made a historic first bilateral visit to India. The former cricketer shared a video on his social media account stating that he was honoured to meet PM Modi. In the video Gayle can be seen greeting PM Modi with Folded Hands.
During the meeting PM Modi presented a cricket bat signed by Indian cricket team to his Jamaican counterpart, who also gifted a cricket bat (signed by Chris Gayle) to PM Modi. Taking to social media the Jamaican PM had praised Universe Boss stating, "Chris Gayle is not just an icon in Jamaica; he is also widely known, respected, and adored here in India for his cricketing prowess."
Cricket was one of the topics in discussion between the prime ministers of both nations. While addressing the press, PM Modi spoke about Indian people having special affection for jamaican cricketers. He added that India-Jamaica ties will grow faster than Usain Bol while discussing on deeping cooperation in sports.
As cricket loving nations, sports has been a very strong and important connecting link in our relations. Be it the legendary fast bowling of "Courtney Walsh” or the fiery batting of "Chris Gayle”, people of India have a special affection for Jamaican cricketers.
We also discussed on deepening our cooperation in sports. I am confident that the outcomes from today’s discussions will propel our relationship at a pace faster than "Usain Bolt,” allowing us to continually reach new heights.
Chris Gayle's career
Considered to be one of the most destructive batters in the history of the game, Gayle represented the West Indies in 103 Tests, 301 ODIs and 79 T20Is. Gayle amassed 7214 runs in Tests, 10480 in ODIs and 1899 runs in T20Is. He is the most successful T20 batter in history with 14562 runs that includes a record 22 hundreds and 88 fifties in a career spanning 17 years.
He played a crucial role in the West Indies teams that won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, 2012 & 2016 T20 World Cups. Gayle is the only batsman to score a century in T20I, a double hundred in One-Day Internationals and a triple ton in Test cricket.
