'Universe Boss' Gayle plans retirement after home series against India in August
Manchester, Jun 26: Dashing West Indies batsman Chris Gayle will retire from international cricket after the home ODI and Test series against India scheduled in August-September, revising his earlier plan to call it quits after the ongoing World Cup.
Among the high profile players in the last two decades, Gayle will follow the in footsteps of Steve Waugh (2004) and Jacques Kallis (2013), who announced their international retirement after playing against India.
It is expected that Gayle will play his final international game, a Test against India, at his home ground Kingston in Jamaica starting August 30.
The 39-year-old had last month stated that he would retire after the World Cup but speaking to the media on the eve of the game against India here, the left-hander said he has had a change of mind.
"It's still not the end. I still have a few games to go. May be another series to go, as well. Who knows, we will see what happens," Gayle said when asked about his career which was supposed to end after the World Cup.
When he was asked a specific questions on his plans post World Cup, he did spill the beans.
"My plans after World Cup? I may play a Test match against India and then I will definitely play the ODIs against India. I won't play the T20s for sure. That's my plan after the World Cup," Gayle said.
West Indies media manager Philip Spooner later confirmed that the assignment against India will be Gayle's last in national colours.
"Yes, Chris will play his last series against India," Spooner told PTI.
It has been learnt that Gayle's participation in the India series was necessary keeping the commercial aspects in mind as it is scheduled right after the World Cup.
Also a Test match in Jamaica and good friend and former IPL teammate Virat Kohli in the opposition ranks will be seen as a fitting farewell for cricket's greatest modern day entertainers.
India's tour of West Indies comprises three T20 Internationals, three ODIs followed by a couple of Test matches.
There will be two T20 games in Florida on August 3 and 4, followed by a third in Guyana.
The three-match ODI will start in Guyana from August 8, followed by a couple of games in Trinidad. The Tests will take place from August 22 to September 3.
Gayle has appeared in 103 Tests, accumulating 7215 runs at an average of 42.19. In 294 ODI appearances, Gayle put together 10345 runs, while in 58 T20 Internationals, he has 1627 runs.
He has two triple hundreds in Test matches, a double hundred in ODIs and also has the distinction of scoring the first hundred in a World T20 game.
The man who calls himself the 'Universe Boss' is a fan favourite for his flamboyant stroke-play and is considered a game-changing batsman.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
