If you are looking for one player who can clear the ground effortlessly and consistently, there is no bigger name than West Indies cricket legend Chris Gayle. From his early days in international cricket back in 1999 to the end of his career, he always proved to be a destructive batter. Even in various T20 leagues, he was an absolute smasher of the ball.
Now, in an exclusive interview with InsideSport, the star batter was once again smashing boundaries, this time with his words. His answers were interesting, and when asked about current Indian players and how he would rate them out of 10, Gayle didn’t take much time before jumping straight into his response.
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) April 3, 2025
INSIDESPORT EXCLUSIVE
CHRIS GAYLE RATES INDIAN BATTERSGill: 9/10
Chris Gayle on Indian players
Yashasvi Jaiswal (9/10)
‘I like him, what a player he is!’, this is what the former West Indian cricketer said about India’s emerging batter. Just like Gayle, Yashasvi Jaiswal is also a stylish left-handed batter, so it was natural that he gave Jaiswal a big 9 out of 10.
Gayle gives Gill a stellar 9/10
When Gayle realised that most of the names were going to be younger players, he funnily said, ‘I won’t give them the maximum, but they are all super talented.’ He gave Shubman Gill a 9, as he believes he is an upcoming superstar of Indian cricket.
Super talented Abhishek Sharma gets 8/10
Super talent! Well, that’s what the former Caribbean batter said, as he believes Abhishek Sharma has a bright future ahead and is an absolute smasher of the ball.
Gayle on KL Rahul’s up-and-down career, gives him 8/10
On one hand, the southpaw gave Indian superstar KL Rahul an 8, but he also spoke about the constant changes in his batting order in the Indian lineup, leading to a fair amount of inconsistency. In his own words, his career didn’t really blossom much, but given his talent, Gayle still rated him 8.
Gayle on Ruturaj Gaikwad
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad also received an impressive rating from Gayle, with the former RCB batter giving him a solid 7 out of 10.
Gayle hands Suryakumar Yadav a near-perfect rating
Now, when it came to rating India’s Mr. 360, Suryakumar Yadav, Gayle instantly picked a 9 from his number box and gave it to him. It was surely expected that Gayle would rate him that high, and he also spoke about how phenomenal this batter is before awarding him a near-perfect score.
Hardik receives a measured rating
Coming straight to the point, Chris Gayle gave Pandya a decent 7 out of 10.
Headmaster Gayle also hands Shreyas Iyer a solid grade
‘Good player, very good player’—straight from Gayle’s mouth as he gave Punjab Kings captain an 8/10. This batter has been in incredible form recently. We saw how Shreyas Iyer made valuable contributions to the Indian side in the Champions Trophy and is currently doing wonderfully for PBKS as a leader and a batter.
Swashbuckling Pant gets 8!
Well, lastly, another Indian superstar known for smashing bowlers all over received 8 out of 10. Gayle spoke about Rishabh Pant’s capabilities and clearly stated how good he is—a proper hitter of the ball, or as Gayle put it, ‘swashbuckling.’
