There is nothing much you can do with a cricket ball if Chris Gayle is on-song and finding the sweet spot of his bat. How many sweet spots does he have on his huge cricket bat? The answer is - many! Even edges fly off for sixes, a timely nudge will see the ball grazing towards the boundary and God save the bowlers, if he hits the middle, it is almost a case of ‘new balls please’ or ‘Fetch that’ in the crowd. On Saturday night in front of a sixty thousand strong Eden Gardens, Gayle was at his dominant best; dictating terms at the crease and hitting the ball where he wanted to - over the ropes and into the stands.

Earlier when he walked out to bat with Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli in pursuit of a challenging 178, one could almost get a vibe that a big Gayle knock was round the corner. The vibe only got stronger when Gayle looked his own - calm at the beginning even though wickets were falling at the other end, sensibly destructive in the middle and ballistic at the end. Seven sixes and seven boundaries and 96 runs at a strike-rate of 171 meant, RCB began their Pepsi IPL 2015 season on a winning note.

Gayle fell short of a century by four runs, but later in a chat with iplt20.com the big-hitting Gayle reckoned the three figure mark was never on his mind; instead, a win for his team was. And when his team crossed the finishing line with success, he was visibly happy just like his teammates who went on to congratulate him for his match-winning performance.

“The century will come later in the tournament mate,” chuckled Gayle. This and a lot more as Gayle takes us through his first big knock and RCB’s winning start to the season. A match-winning performance to start Pepsi IPL 2015! Has to be the best possible start to the season isn’t it? It is a good start to our IPL.

From the team point of view we are very happy to get a win. Any game that you play first you always want to start with a win and we have got that. It was a great game of cricket and both teams played well.

I am really happy to turn up on the winning side. For me, it was a fantastic innings but every other guy as a player played a part in it. It is never over until it is over and the lower order played its part with Harshal Patel and Abu Nechim taking us home.

What is it about the Eden Gardens and Kolkata Knight Riders that brings out the best in you?The Eden Gardens is like one of my own grounds, like home. I used to play here and have played Test cricket as well. It is fantastic to be here to be honest with you.

I don’t know how many thousands there were today but the atmosphere at Eden Gardens is outstanding. It is just fantastic to see the crowd always cheering for you. I know they didn’t want RCB to win, but they were still cheering for the Chris Gayle factor.

I am really happy with that. I just tried to entertain them even more. This is what the IPL is all about you know - entertainment.

It was a cracking game. We are glad that we entertained the fans. Hopefully we can continue to entertain them in the games to follow.

Never once in the chase did the RCB batsmen hold back from playing their shots. Was there a clear message from the captain that this is how RCB are going to play our cricket? Absolutely! The captain expressed himself in the team meeting before the game and during the practice. He said that we are going to play fearless cricket.

He told us that there is no pressure (and asked us to) just go and enjoy yourself and express yourself. That is what we wanted to do and we did that. I am really happy with that.

Over number 17, you turn down a single with Harshal Patel at the other end. Was your thought process on the lines of “I am going to finish this for the team”? I wanted to bat the whole twenty overs and I just fancied myself to win the game and eventually it happened. At no stage did I panic.

I know my ability and I know I can get it. I just had the belief that I could get the team home. How important was it to get amongst runs at the start of the tournament? This is a very important knock for me.

I am just going to try and build on it. I am not going to let composure or complacency get in my game. I am looking forward to another big game back home.

We need to continue this momentum and our winning ways.Just a hint of disappointment to miss out on the century?Not at all. The win was more important to be very honest with you.

There are plenty more games and hopefully a hundred can come along the way. But this win was very important for us. We now go back home and face the likes of Chennai Super Kings.

We will be looking forward to winning at home as well. Of late, Chris Gayle’s pattern of scoring has been a mix of caution and aggression. Is it something that you have realised about your batting? The new ball is a tricky one upfront.

You got to have a look. This is T20 cricket and you can catch up once you have that ability and that strength. I am not too worried about anything else.

I am here just to play my game. I just need to be myself. This is how I am going to be throughout the tournament.

Wherever I play in the world I am just going to be myself and hopefully runs will come.How many runs do you reckon you will get this IPL?(Laughs) No one knows, but hopefully a lot. .

Source: http://www.iplt20.com/news/2015/features/5889/cariappa-vows-to-come-back-strong