India and Pakistan players should demand a lot of money for WC games: Chris Gayle

Former West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has opined on India vs Pakistan clash in the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has shared his opinion on the India v Pakistan game in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 tournament and called it an encounter akin to the final of the event.

The marquee India-Pakistan clash in the ICC World Cup 2023 is slated to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 15 and the venue will also host the tournament opener on October 5 between defending champions England and last edition’s finalists New Zealand.

The Narendra Modi stadium will also host the marquee Australia v England clash and the final on November 19, as the International Cricket Council (ICC) unveiled the World Cup 2023 schedule in an event in Mumbai on June 27, 2023.

And former West Indies opener Chris Gayle said that India and Pakistan clash is like the final of the tournament.

“It is going to be the most exciting game of the World Cup. In any World Cup, it is like the final game. We know how that rivalry is. It is just a crazy sold-out game,” he said to ANI.

Further, he said that he was disappointed with the West Indies cricket team’s performance. The West Indies are currently playing in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

“It would be disappointing to see if they are not in the World Cup in India,” Gayle said.

They have managed to move to the Super Sixes stage, but have to win all of their three matches and need to have results of some other matches to go their way to qualify for the main draw of the World Cup.

“If I was in their position, I would want a lot more”- Chris Gayle says India and Pakistan players should demand more money for their World Cup match

Talking about the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India later this year, Chris Gayle has picked India, England, Pakistan, and New Zealand as the four semi-finalists. On the much-awaited Indo-Pak clash in Ahmedabad on October 15, Gayle has a rather different take.

"Whenever those teams play, especially in a World Cup, the revenues they generate is humongous. One game can take care of the entire ICC event. Pakistan and India players should demand a lot of money for those games because those games are high-paid games TV-wise," Gayle told PTI.

"I don't control the board or the ICC. If I was in their position I would want a lot more," he added.