No One Like Chris Gayle!

Is he the top ranked ICC batsman in Tests? No. ('Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment' -- How Chris Gayle Partied After Monster Century That Destroyed England in T20 World Cup)

In ODIs? No.

Okay, In T20s? No.

So any major record he holds in any format? Most runs? Highest score in any format? Highest average? And the answer is still, No.

You might have a difference in opinion on who currently is the best Test or ODI Batsman in the world? Is it Steve Smith, or Kane Williamson, or Joe Root, maybe Virat Kohli or AB De Villiers? All contenders have their own merits and argument. But when the focus shifts to the shortest format of the game, there is no contest. Christopher Henry Gayle is the legit boss!

So what makes Gayle special? What makes him the most loved man on the field in every part of the world? And what exactly is the reason why it feels correct when he himself boasts about 'building leagues around the world'? (World T20: Chris Gayle Wants to 'Entertain' Bangalore After Monster Ton in Mumbai)

Well to start with, he is an entertainer. The smiling assassin, the Box Office, the Showstopper and to fit perfectly in his own words- the Universe Boss!

Very unlike a modern day cricketer, Gayle probably spends more time in partying rather than in nets. He is a sluggish runner between the wickets and his off-the-pitch antics make headlines for all the wrong reasons - yet he is the most sought-after property in global T20 tourneys.

When the batsman around him have resorted to new techniques and styles of switch hitting and ramp shots, Gayle has not fetched away from the orthodox style of flat batting the bowlers over their head. He humiliates the good lines. He grins. He hits hard. He owns. He hits straight. Anything short and he pulls it in the stands, anything overpitched and he pummels it over the top tier. (World T20: Chris Gayle's Form Not a Good Sign For Rivals, Says Sunil Gavaskar)

He is a mercenary, as England found out in their first match on Wednesday in Mumbai. He is a stat-spoiler, as Moeen Ali found out in his last over. In fact there is a joke going viral on social media from last night match, that the thing about Chris Gayle's power hitting is that his smaller sixes goes into the upper pavilion while his bigger ones almost go to the Arabian Sea!

What Gayle showed Wednesday night at Wankhede was not a fluke, he has done it many times, against many opponents, and with the same precision. It was a calculated onslaught. The onslaught that has become Gayle's method of destruction. The method that does not feature shades of Afridi's Boom-Boom approach. The approach that does not consist of Brendon McCullum's high-risk assault. But the assault that only Gayle is capable of. Dead bats three, and then nonchalantly sends the other three in orbit!

Chris Gayle is once in a generation cricketer. There is no one, absolutely no one who comes close to his skills of hitting a six at will. He is the Bradman of this T20 generation. He is the Sir Viv of this cricket's bang-bang version. So while the cricket editors around the world struggles to coin the new headlines and contend to keep using the old cliches like Gayleforce and Gaylestorm, cricket lovers should revel in the joy and entertainment that this Jamaican brings to the game of cricket.

After all, there is no one like Gayle!