I'm going to live my life how I want: Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss, the six machine, the giant of the shortest format; we almost run out of adjectives while addressing Christopher Henry Gayle. The legendary Jamaican has achieved tremendous success across all three formats of the beautiful game and is widely regarded as one of the finest ever in the Caribbean to grace the game. 

Gayle is also famous for his lavish lifestyle, apart from his brutal hitting. However, he is the master of his own accord and believes in enjoying his time both on and off the field. 

The dynamic southpaw has recently revealed the incident that led him to be the sole decider of his everyday activities. Speaking to Wisden in an interview, Gayle said that the heart surgery that he went through in 2005 to get rid of an irregular heartbeat was a life-changing experience for him as he had not been to the operation chamber ever before. 

As the universe boss put it, he felt as if he cheated death at that time and didn't let his parents know about the surgery as he didn't want them to be worried. Continuing, Gayle said that this incident led him to self-management as he vowed to regulate his own actions without anyone else's interference.

"The surgery was a life-changing thing. I'd never been under the knife before. In my mind, I cheated death. I didn't even tell my parents I was having the surgery. I didn't want them to worry. I made a vow to myself: no one will ever tell me how to live my life. From that day on, I said I'm going to live my life how I want when I want. That's why I still play and still live my life", Gayle said. 

As there have been several instances of Gayle withdrawing himself from international retirement, the interviewer jovially asked the veteran batsman who the honest Chris Gayle is, to which Gayle replied, "The real Chris Gayle is what you see, man. I don't know what will happen [when he retires]. We'll have to wait and see. Give me two more years,"

The former West Indies captain also talked with the interviewer about an application that he has been working on these days to redevelop the game. 

"Trust me, I've done some work. We're trying our best to get this into all parts of the world. To redevelop the game," the Jamaican legend said. 

Regarding his recently opened cricket academy, Gayle said that its establishment aims to give cricket its dues for all that the game has given to him throughout his illustrious career.   

"You've got to give back. I'll never walk away without giving back. Cricket has given me everything, and I'm very grateful for that," the 42-year old concluded.