Out in stands,a standout cheerleader

That is,till the sledging from the Mound suddenly became personal.

Fielding at the mid-wicket boundary just meters away from the Mound Stand known these days simply as the Party Stand at Sabina Park,Virat Kohli had been bombarded by a series of comments. To his credit,the Indian did not let his attention waiver as he continued to ignore the noises behind him. That is,till the sledging from the Mound suddenly became personal.

Kohli swung his head back to locate the source of the constant badgering,but once he had zeroed in on the individual responsible for it,instead of losing his cool,the youngster suddenly burst out laughing. In fact,at the end of the over,he ran towards the stand,jumped over the fence and fist-pumped his tormentor. It was a reunion of two Royal Challengers Bangalore team mates. Dressed in a fluorescent green vest and matching shorts and goggles,the culprit of course was Chris Gayle,sporting a new-look a Jimi Hendrix-style Afro,rather than his customary braids.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the selectors may have managed to keep him out of the national team,but this is Gayle country. And the flamboyant Jamaican opener was intent on making his presence felt at his home ground,and that too in as vociferous a fashion as possible.

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Gayle had tweeted on the morning of the match about his plans to come and cheer on the West Indies from the Mound. And he kept his word,turning up shortly after the Indians had been bowled out for 251 in the first innings.

From thereon,in the company of a few close associates,which included out-of-favour Jamaican fast bowler Jerome Taylor,Gayle took centre stage. In Jamaica,like everywhere else in the Caribbean,there are no strangers. Everyone seems to know everyone else. And despite being among the most popular figures in his country,not once did Gayle refuse to pose for a photograph or get flustered by the constant tapping on his shoulder or the abundance of alcohol-induced advice. He indulged more than 100 fans,each time producing a smile wider and toothier than the last one.

While he continued to pester Kohli,who also returned the favour by breaking into a jig in between overs,Gayle then turned his attention towards Rohit Sharma fielding within the 30-yard circle. He was soon handed to him by one of his fans in the stand in possession of a West Indian jersey with his name and regular number of 45 printed on it. Gayle then began brandishing the jersey and shouted out,This is the real No.45,Sharma, to Sharma who was sporting the same number,before mockingly inviting him to the Mound for a drink.

The closer the West Indies got to their target,the louder Gayle got. He continued to shout out advice towards his team mates batting in the centre. He jumped in ecstasy and cheered wildly following every boundary but hooted every time an Indian fielder stopped a ball. The self-imposed West Indian cheerleader was holding court,and his teammates too began to respond to it. More than once Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard lifted their bat towards the Mound stand and acknowledge Gayles support. That is before Samuels also playing on his home ground rushed towards the Mound once West Indies had sealed the match and jumped over the fence to shake hands almost a la Pat Cash with his long-time team mate and friend.