Top five hard-hitting batsmen in modern-day cricket

1. Chris Gayle

The Gayle-Storm. A very appropriate term for what Chris Gayle’s strength can do, and yet he is not a one-dimensional cricketer. The fact that he has two triple centuries to his name is testament to the fact that he has been effective in Test cricket too. His innings of 175 in the 2013 edition of the IPL saw him conducting a mass slaughter of the hapless PWI bowling attack. He’s got a fairly simple technique that involves minimal footwork, use of innate power and a deadly hand-eye coordination. He is equally effective against fast bowlers and spinners and has made a reputation for stealing matches away from the opposition single-handedly. Unlike most players on this list who are middle and lower-order batsman, Gayle opens the innings and makes an immediate, heavy impact on the game that debilitates the opposition.