Who will break Chris Gayle’s record of scoring the most runs in an innings in IPL history? Former RCB star picks this Indian batsman
Chris Gayle, former West Indies batsman and a stalwart in the T20 format, holds the world record for the highest individual score in the format – 175* (66) in the 2013 IPL edition. While several big hitters have come close to breaking his record, Gayle believes that KL Rahul, his former teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings, has the potential to achieve the feat.
#this day
Highest individual T20 score:
175* (66) – Chris Gayle On this day in 2013 _
172 (76) – Aaron Finch vs Zimbabwe, 2018
162* (71) – Hamilton Masakadza v Ageas, 2016
162* (62) – Hazratullah Zazai vs Ireland, 2019https://t.co/k3kS7JP9yA — _Flashscore Cricket Commentators (@FlashCric) April 23, 2021
Gayle, who recently spoke to JioCinema on ‘Legend Speak’, admitted that Rahul has the potential to break his record. He highlighted that Rahul is a dangerous batsman in the death overs and if he manages to score a big century, he can achieve the feat. Gayle further said that records are meant to be broken, and it is only a matter of time before someone surpasses his record.
“For one I think KL Rahul! On his day, he can do that. I don’t think he believes in his ability to get that big score, but listen to me, we all have seen KL Rahul Walked in and if he decides to bat like that sometimes, if not most of the times I would love to see, he can definitely get that because when he bats 15 to 20 [over], He is also very dangerous in terms of batting. If he gets a good start and gets a big century, he can definitely cross 175.
Gayle’s faith in Rahul’s abilities is not unfounded. The Indian opener has already shown his potential as a T20 batsman, with a highest score of 132* against his former franchise, RCB, while playing for Kings XI Punjab in the 2020 edition of IPL. With over 5000 runs in the T20 format, Rahul has already established himself as one of the best batsmen in the world.
Gayle’s faith in Rahul’s abilities comes as a testament to the latter’s talent and prowess as a T20 batsman. While Gayle’s record may stand for now, it is only a matter of time before someone like Rahul breaks it. As Gayle rightly said, records are meant to be broken, and it is only a matter of time before someone surpasses his record.