Mahendra Singh Dhoni has enough ammunition in his repertoire to stop Chris Gayle, when India face West Indies in the World T20 semifinal in Mumbai on Thursday, according to Kumar Sangakkara, former Sri Lanka captain.
"I think India has quite a few options to stop Chris Gayle. They have Jasprit Bumrah, who bowls with decent pace and with an unorthodox action.
"At the same time, they have Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina. I feel Dhoni will turn to Ashwin to open against Gayle, and sacrifice two to three overs to try and get rid of the big West Indian," Sangakkara told in an exclusive chat with NDTV.
"Gayle has also shown particular weakness against left-armers. India has Ashish Nehra, who is bowling beautifully throughout the tournament. So, Dhoni has enough options," he added.
However, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar begged to differ from the Sri Lankan legend.
"Gayle is far too experienced. He will be little bit careful against Bumrah and Ashwin. In fact, if you see how he plays, in the first six overs he hits down the ground. And once he has set in, he starts to go aerial," said Gavaskar.
"He will have some sort of plan against the Indian bowlers," he added.
'Yuvraj Singh will be missed'
When quizzed about Yuvraj Singh's injury, Gavaskar felt the all-rounder's absence is going to make a big difference. "Yuvraj Singh is a big blow as he is someone who can come in and bowl a bit," said Gavaskar.
"Also he was the one who held the innings together, when India had lost three wickets quickly against Pakistan and Australia. With him at the other end, Virat has been batting exceptionally well. So, Yuvraj's absence is going to make a big difference," he added.
The Kohli factor
Virat Kohli who has been in phenomenal form in the tournament, could well again be West Indies' nemesis, opined Sangakkara.
"Teams have been wary of Kohli in this tournament. Teams have tried various options to get him out, but none of them have worked. You saw Australians, in my view, bowling a bit too straight to Virat, which he flicked through the leg side for a boundary," Sangkkara said.
"Then they bowled a wide, which Kohli drove for four through point. So, the bowlers seemed to be under pressure and thereby bowling to Virat's zones. West Indies' bowling line-up is not one of the strongest in the tournament. So, their management must be working to find a way out to get him out," he added.
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