In what comes as a huge shocker for the West Indies, Former skipper Chris Gayle is all set to miss the ODI series against India as he has decided to play in the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) that starts from Friday. Earlier this year, during the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Gayle made himself available for the team due to which it was speculated that he would most likely represent his side in the ODIs.
The left-handed batsman was part of the team in the ODI series against Bangladesh.
A report in Sportstarlive suggests that he has been issued NOC to participate in APL but it mentions that Gayle’s selection for next year's World Cup is not guaranteed. This year in August, Gayle had said that he wants to play World Cup 2019.
Gayle has joined the Balkh Legends in APL, as an icon player. Colin Munro, Mohammad Nabi, Ravi Bopara, Mohammad Irfan, Ben Laughlin, Ryan Ten Doeschate are some other international players in the respective squad.
However, it is speculated that Gayle along with other stars could possibly turn up for his side during the T20I series against India. Also, Gayle was one of the players among those who were not offered central contracts by Cricket West Indies.
After Ashwin’s ferocious four-fer, Kuldeep Yadav maiden five-wicket haul turned out to be the biggest nightmare for West Indies as they lost the first Test by an innings and 272 runs. Virat Kohli & his men showcased an all-round performance to wrap up the five-day Test match within 3 days.