‘I've been working hard with Sir Garry and it really paid off'

Chris Gayle: the fourth triple-centurion in Tests for West Indies © Getty Images

Chris Gayle was a satisfied man after scoring his first triple-hundred in Tests, and credited Sir Garry Sobers for assisting him with his technique and making this achievement possible. West Indies ended the day on 565 for 5, thanks primarily to Gayle's 317.

"You can't complain after scoring 300 runs man. I'm really happy for that," Gayle was quoted as saying in The Trinidad Express. "A lot of pressure was on me, having played two Test matches and not scoring any runs. In this one, I told myself I really had to dig deep and cash in on this wicket. I've been working hard with Sir Garry and it really paid off today."

Gayle's 317 was the fourth-highest individual score in Tests by a West Indian. Elaborating further on Sobers's help, Gayle said, "Basically, it's all about balance and trying to get your momentum going. I've done a lot in the indoor nets, myself and Wavell [Hinds]. The three of us [Gayle, Hinds and Sobers] worked together. He taught me a lot of things and they paid off here and thanks to him."

Gayle also admitted that he had tried to correct his footwork prior to this match. "In the last two games, I was trying to move a lot," he said. "What I tried to do in this game is try and be as still as possible. I tried to widen my stance a bit to feel a bit more balance out there."

However, his ten-and-half hour innings was brought to an end when he was caught at first slip off Monde Zondeki. "I was looking to hopefully come tomorrow and build on it or try to get as close as possible to 400 today, but I was really tired yesterday, having been on the field for two days and coming back in to bat just before lunch [on the third day]. It was very hectic to have to go out there and bat under those conditions and I really pulled myself together."