Chris Gayle not injured, RCB 'preserving' opener

BENGALURU: A towering 35-year-old Jamaican striking the ball with brutal force is a regular sight in the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp.
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On an overcast on Wednesday evening, an hour before the start of their home match against Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, the scene was no different. Chris Gayle, looked like he was warming up for a big knock, but that was not to be.In a move that surprised many, Australian pace ace Mitchell Starc took Chris Gayle's place in the team as the fourth foreign player.
RCB's decision not to field Gayle left many including the rival camp perplexed because in usual course, especially against a formidable team like CSK, he would have been an automatic choice. RCB's Iqbal Abdulla said Gayle was not injured but the reason given by him as to why the West Indian did not feature in the contest wasn't convincing. But the hint was unmistakable: Gayle decided to sit out.
"No, he's not injured. He's (Gayle) backing himself. He is preserving himself a bit. He is a very important player for RCB and he knows that there are 10 more matches, he will bounce back. He has kept himself for the matches ahead and hopefully he will play in those matches," was Iqbal's response to a question on whether Gayle was dropped or injured.
"I was surprised when I saw that Chris was not playing, but Virat is a guy who always thinks positively for the team. The other guy, (Rilee) Rossouw, has played many good knocks for South Africa. But still I would say they didn't start well in the first six overs," said Suresh Raina, who struck a quick-fire 32-ball 62.
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