Chris Gayle

	Gayle reaches his century © Getty Images

Since we had already made it to the semi-finals the game against England was an opportunity for the guys to get a hit first up batting-wise and to bowl with the wet ball in the dew conditions, as well to get a feel for that aspect of the game which has been crucial in this tournament so far. It was a pretty good wicket to bat on so we decided if we won the toss we’ll bat first and get a big total on the board.

There was a bit of a setback early on to lose Shiv [Chanderpaul] Myself and [Dwayne] Bravo put up a good partnership to lay the foundation. Bravo got his first ODI hundred, which was very good to see. We know he has been struggling for some time to get a good score so it is good to see him get three figures and get his confidence back. I hope he moves from strength to strength and goes into the semi-finals with greater confidence. It was a good all-round performance batting-wise.

I thought I had a slow start. I didn’t get the usual firing start I am known for but I knew once I got in and stayed in, things would get easier as we kept on batting. I paced myself for this sort of innings and it paid off with my 14th hundred but it was unfortunate that we lost the game. Bravo really supported me and helped me through the innings as well. The support was very good from Bravo. I enjoyed the hundred overall and I am hoping that I can ensure that I make good use of every start I get in this tournament.

In the bowling department the England team got the better of us by getting off to a flier. Then you know who came into the attack and went to the rescue – getting three wickets was good for the team since it set the English back a bit.

[Kevin] Pietersen came in and batted very well and ended up playing a matchwinning innings for his team.

Though we lost it was still a good game for us as we put a good total on the board and worked hard to defend it even though we did not finish off the job. We are now looking forward to the semi-final against South Africa in Jaipur. South Africa has been playing good cricket so far and they always put up a serious challenge but we enjoy challenges so it would be an interesting encounter.

After the game against England we came back to the team hotel and did the usual – gathered in the hallway and had a long chat about the game, where we did well, where we went wrong and just talked about cricket and life in general. Myself, Corey [Collymore], Braddie [Ian Bradshaw], Wavell [Hinds], Marlon [Samuels] and Fidel [Edwards] stayed up until 6am just talking in the hallway. I think these are the things that bring team spirit together, to sit down and chat about the game and other things.

Even though we lost the enjoyment is still there from everyone especially playing in these conditions far away from home and we will definitely take that into the semi-finals.

	Sarwan and Gayle celebrate during an epic performance © Getty Images

As you would probably expect I am very happy that we won the game against India last night, and that now propels us into the semi-finals even though we have one more game to play. The victory was not achieved in the sort of way we would have wanted it, though. We were in a very commanding position and we had another mini-collapse towards the end but recovered just in time to get across the finish line.

This is something which we will continue to pay attention to and try to solve it as quickly as we can. We cannot afford for it to happen as frequently as it has been happening, especially with so many talented players in this team.

We all know, from the semis onwards, it will be a do-or-die situation so the next game against England tomorrow will give us an ideal opportunity to solve this batting issue so that it won’t occur in the semi-finals, and the finals once we get through.

I am pleased with the way I batted and I am hoping that I will be able to take this sort of form into the next few games in this tournament and into the Test series against Pakistan. I tried to rotate the strike as much as I could as there was no need for me to take many chances given the way Runako was scoring freely, and we were always keeping up with the required run-rate.

Some people criticised the way Runako and I slowed up towards the end of our partnership but we saw the importance of seeing off the two spinners who we thought were the greatest threats of the Indian bowling attack. We saw in some of the other games that well-set batsmen lost their wickets to key bowlers towards the end of their spells and we wanted to ensure that we saw them off and blunted their effect.

In the end wickets in hand is important and it showed in us winning even though the game went down to the last over.

I have to mention that I thought the crowd turn-out and support, while not unexpected, was outstanding. They were very supportive of us in our other matches. Understandably they were very vocal and supportive of India last night but it was heartening to see some of them were still happy that we won and congratulated us. The Indian fans clearly appreciate the way we played last night.

It is an optional practice session today and I am feeling a bit sore from the game yesterday so I will be spending the afternoon and evening watching and analysing the game between Pakistan and South Africa because there is a clear possibility that we will play one of those two teams in the semi-finals.

I’ve been very bored for the past couple of days. There is not much to do in Ahmedabad, though I did manage to get in a bit of shopping for clothes a few days before the game and it was a bit of fun.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of my time in my room on the internet, mainly chatting on MSN with friends and family and reading Caribbean newspaper websites mostly to find out what is happening in my lovely Guyana and the other Caribbean countries. I’ve also been trying to get a few Bollywood movies with English subtitles. I would particularly like to get a copy of the recently released remake of Don starring Shah Rukh Khan.