There was a whisper in the wind that Chris Gayle’s surprise inclusion in the West Indies team for the one-off Finolex Pipes Twenty20 International against India was supposed to be his farewell contest.

But the Jamaican batting star has set the record straight: he still has enough left in the tank to represent the regional side at another T20 World Cup, a One-Day international Cricket World Cup and possibly a Test match.

Gayle, 37, who has not represented the West Indies in a Twenty20 International in over a year, is set to make a return for his first T20 International appearance at Sabina Park tomorrow.

The explosive left-hander, who last sported the regional colours in the World T20 final against England in India last April, was named in a 13-man squad alongside four other Jamaican stars that are expected to be on show.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Chadwick Walton, middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels, rising all-rounder Rovman Powell and seamer Jerome Taylor are the others.

“If it was up to me sometimes I would walk away, but at the same time the fans still request ‘don’t do it’, and I still have a couple more years, once I look after myself and my health is intact and I am up to full fitness,” Gayle told journalists when asked about retirement after a training session at the match venue yesterday.

“I am targeting another T20 World Cup and another 50-over World Cup as well, so once I can monitor all these things and get back in the groove as quickly as possible then anything is possible.

“And even before I retire, I would want a Test match some place here in front my home crowd or something like that down the line, but those things are on the agenda and it is up to the fitness level and how much I can manage the work load at this age,” he added.

However, in order to be eligible for a cut in the West Indies One-day and Test squads, Gayle would have to first represent Jamaica in the Regional Super-50 and Four-day competitions.

“Yeah, we will compromise when it comes on to that and I am sure they (Jamaica Cricket Association) are actually working on these things to try and get most of the senior or popular players back within the team to actually pull a bigger crowd and try and get more wins.

“But at the same time, the youngsters are the future and they would need a bit of experience alongside them as well, to actually gain as much as they possibly can, and then they would eventually be the ones to take over from us guys when we actually decide to leave the game,” Gayle noted.

Though his form and fitness may be in question for tomorrow’s contest, Gayle has the ability to ruin the figures of even the thriftiest of opening bowlers and his experience will serve the number five-ranked West Indies well against the number four-ranked Indians, should he get into his attacking rhythm.

The tall and imposing opening batsman is the region’s most experienced player in the shortest format, scoring some 1,519 runs, including two centuries at an average 35.32 and a strike rate of 145.49. He recently became the first batsman to reach 10,000 runs in the format.

Gayle mustered a mere 200 runs with a single half-century during the recent Indian Premier League (IPL), and he will be banking on his usual free-flowing and attacking style for a repeat of that feat or more to entertain the crowd.

“It has been a long time, but due to circumstances, I have been out of the team, among other stuff; a few niggles here and there as well, but now I am back and it is good. What is so special about it as well is the fact that I am playing in front of my home crowd.

“India is one of the best T20 sides in the world, so that will actually make it more interesting for the people to come out and see the game and hopefully it will be a high-scoring game and West Indies come out on top and I get a chance to entertain my home fans,” Gayle stated.

Looking on the talent of the crop of players currently in the West Indies ODI squad and their recent 1-3 loss to India in the five-match series, Gayle believes the young team will get better in time.

“Nothing is wrong with the team, they are just playing against a top team that just went to the Champions Trophy final, so it wasn’t going to be a pushover, and at the same time India was always favoured to beat the West Indies.

“It is a young team and it’s a learning experience, as well. These young West Indians will be the future, so we have to give them some time to blossom and get some credibility under their belts and take it step by step,” Gayle said.

— Sherdon Cowan