Blake wants to change track to IPL!

London: Yohan Blake wants to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) next season!

On Sunday night, soon after he was beaten by Bolt in the high voltage clash at the jam-packed Olympic Park, Blake told a group of Indian scribes about his plan to play the IPL.

"Oh! You people are from India? I am a huge cricket fan...I know about Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid. I am their fan," said the 22-year-old sprinter.

In the IPL, Blake would like to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore since Chris Gayle also plays for the same franchise.

"I am his (Gayle) friend. He is a great batsman. He plays for the Bangalore team, so I would also like to play for them," said the double gold medallist in the 2011 World Championship, adding he was also aware of the teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings.

Blake, however, feels no one could be better than Brian Lara. "He is a legend...My favourite. Among the Indian players, I like Sachin, young Kohli and Dhoni."

Asked whether he was a batsman or a bowler, Blake said he was basically a bowler. "I am a right-arm fast bowler… I can bowl very fast. In fact, my pace is more than your Zaheer Khan!" Blake remarked.

For the record, Blake plays cricket regularly with Kingston Cricket Club.

The Jamaican said he wanted to come to India during the Commonwealth Games. "My coach advised me to take some rest. So I had to cancel my plans," he said.

World champion Blake equalled his personal best of 9.75 seconds in the 100m final on Sunday night that lived up to its billing, but it was not enough to take his Jamaican compatriot and training partner Usain Bolt`s sprint crown.

Bolt scorched to gold in 9.63, the second fastest time ever run, answering all doubts about his fitness with a superb performance.

BDST: 1830 HRS, August 8, 2012
Edited by
Chanchal Ghosh, Newsroom Editor