The faithful Royal Challengers Bangalore fans have flocked the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Pepsi IPL 2015 game after game in anticipation of a Gayle Storm. After four quiet matches and one wash-out they finally got their treat – a Chris Gayle special at home and a huge win over Kings XI Punjab.

The willow-wielding swaggerer from the Caribbean, after being rested for RCB’s previous match in Chennai, was back on the field on Wednesday and slammed 117 off 57 balls – his 14th century in Twenty20 cricket. En route, he nonchalantly struck seven fours and 12 sixes.
Soon after he scripted RCB’s whopping 138-run win and swept all the awards at the post-match presentation, Gayle spoke to iplt20.com about his scintillating knock.

You were rested for the last match. Guess the rest worked out well for you.

Honestly, I was very well rested. I just chilled in my room, watching TV, tweeting and relaxing. I was really fresh for this game and I was very happy to be back on the field playing today. It was all the more satisfying to come up with such a performance.

This was your 14th T20 century. What next? A T20 double century?

That is pushing it a bit, although I came close once. Hopefully 14 more can come and that would be brilliant. Although I scored a century, it was a thorough team effort today. Everyone chipped in and the bowlers capped off a great match with a brilliant second half.

You don’t believe in running between the wickets for your runs, do you?

I do run a lot, I’ll tell you that. I have to run for the guys. I cannot be selfish.

What is the conversation like when Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers are batting together?

Once AB comes in, you tell him to give himself a chance, bat a few balls and we can take it from there. But today the game was already set up, so batsmen could come and bat freely straight away. AB is one of the best batsmen in the world, if not the best. It is amazing to bat with him.

Was there a six-hitting competition between you and AB?

I wish I had more, but yes, it was brilliant. It was a good wicket to bat on. And although I scored a century, I have to give a lot of credit to the KXIP bowlers. After the 14th over those guys bowled some really brilliant yorkers and pegged things back to a great extent. We could have easily got 250 from where we were if it wasn’t for some really good bowling by them.

Martin Guptill asked on twitter that he wants your gym routine. Will you share it with him?

I did a lot of bench-presses in the last couple of days. I do a lot of upper-body work for sure. I just started to work out intensely in the gym but my back has started to flare up again so I have to take it easy.

In the first over you got only one run off Sandeep Sharma, before plundering Johnson. What were you sizing up?

Sandeep got the better of me the last year. He bowls really well upfront, getting the ball to swing. I just wanted to get past his first over. I started to open up in the second over and once I got my first boundary the momentum was built and things started to go in full flow.

You have been part of the IPL for a long time and played with many young cricketers. Is this a good grooming ground for them?

It is. This is a great way to kick-start your career. Coming into an IPL team and working together with some of the best players in the world is an invaluable experience. When you are a young cricketer making your way up, you go out there and play your game. There is no stress on you and you have nothing to worry about. You have nothing to lose; you just go out, express yourself and enjoy the game. At the same time you get to learn so much from the experienced players around you and it builds your confidence. This is a fantastic platform to grow as a cricketer.