Orange flavour to Gayle-Valthaty battle

Another player who has been regularly ignored by the selectors,the Indian ones,is Paul Valthaty

The West Indian selectors certainly may not be a popular bunch despite their team breaking a two-year long rut in Test cricket on Sunday. But they can certainly expect Christmas cards and an abundance of goodwill from the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the coming years.

Ignored during the auctions in January,the 31-year-old Jamaican had been,according to his own admission,looking forward to donning national colours against the touring Pakistanis come April. That is before a beleaguered Bangalore franchise,languishing at the bottom of the table with one win in five games,decided to give Gayle a belated IPL lifeline. And he didnt take too long to express his gratitude towards his benefactors.

Another player who has been regularly ignored by the selectors,the Indian ones,is Paul Valthaty. Although he may not be of Gayles standards,Valthaty couldnt get the selectoral nod during the committee meeting for the tour to the West Indies. But the Caribbean,in the form of Gayle,will come to him at the scenic valley of Dharamsala on Tuesday. And whats more,the battle lines between the ignored couple seems to be drawn well before the game,with the Kings XI Punjab batsman stealing the Orange Cap (by two runs) from the Jamaicans crown. Gayle though,will be silently confident of snatching it right back,just the way he has done all season long.

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Donning his now customary black bandana beneath a golden helmet,it was against his former IPL team,Kolkata Knight Riders,on his former IPL home-ground,that Gayle strode out to bat for the first time in Bangalore colours. The target was 172,a challenging one against an in-form Kolkata bowling attack. Gayle only took 55 deliveries to stamp his authority on the fourth edition of a tournament,where he had struggled to make a significant in the past. Seven times he cleared the fence en route to his first IPL century,while sealing the match within the 19th over. The Gayle-storm had arrived and in devastating fashion. IPL IV was never going to be the same again.

The left-handed West Indians flashing blade continued to create carnage wherever the Royal Challengers stepped foot thereafter. And within four weeks of Gayles arrival,the Bangalore franchise had not only climbed to the top of the table,with a record seven consecutive wins starting with the one against Kolkata,they had also become the first team to qualify for the playoffs.

On Tuesday,a Gayle-storm beckons the quaint and serene setting of Dharamsala as Bangalore look to solidify their position at the top against the in-form Kings XI Punjab,a team desperate to keep their hopes alive of making it past the league stage.

In just seven innings,Gayle had become the first batsman to score two centuries in the same IPL edition and taken possession of the Orange Cap,with 436 runs at an average of 87.20 with a strike-rate of 201.85.

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With a century and a few useful knocks thereafter,Valthaty had been the cynosure of all eyes in IPL IV till Gayle arrived and made his presence felt immediately. And he shot back into the limelight with his half-century against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday at Dharamsala. Just two runs ahead of Gayle in the highest run-getters list for the season,Valthaty will hope for another good show to give himself a chance of holding onto his prized possession.

After having given up any chance of playing in IPL IV,Gayle has returned with a bang and with vengeance in the red and gold of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Many miles away,the West Indian selectors too might now be tempted to bring back their former captain. After all,he has a huge point to prove now to them.