Gayle surprised over Sreesanth's exclusion

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) Surprised that S Sreesanth was not part of Team India's Champions Trophy campaign, explosive West Indies opener Chris Gayle today said he would miss the Kerala paceman in the tournament.

Sreesanth, who was a part of Indian team in the DLF Cup tri-series in Malaysia recently, failed to make the cut for the Champions Trophy.

''Is he not in the team?'' asked a surprised Gayle, who had hit Sreesanth out of the park in Kuala Lumpur.

''That's strange. He is a very good bowler with a lot of talent.

He needs to be groomed properly,'' Gayle said during a media interaction here.

Admitting that he had mellowed down a bit of late, Gayle said adapting to the team's need was critical.

''One can not slam-bang all the time. We have to adapt to the team's requirements. Having said that, my main objective here in India would be to do well in initial overs and give my team a good start.'' Gayle said his off-spin will also prove crucial in the Indian conditions which aid slow bowlers.

''We all know Indian pitches favour slow bowlers. I guess, my couple of overs will be vital in these circumstances. I want to perform and contribute to the team in whatever way I can,'' he said.

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