Watch: West Indies' Chris Gayle thanks PM Narendra Modi for COVID-19 vaccine donation to Jamaica

West Indies’ superstar opener Chris Gayle on Friday thanked Indian PM Narendra Modi for donating COVID-19 vaccine to Jamaica. India has donated as many as 5,00,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Jamaica, a country Gayle and many other world-class athletes hail from.  

"PM Modi, the Government of India and the people of India, I want to thank you all for your donation of the vaccine to Jamaica. We appreciate it," Chris Gayle said in a video. 

Even the Jamaican Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton thanked the Indian government for their donation of the COVID-19 vaccine as the virus "continues to grapple with its own public health crises caused by the pandemic." 

“Our success is, in part, determined by our ability to cooperate and support each other to fill emergent gaps, while seeking to safeguard the best possible health outcomes for our people affected by this threat. We are relying on the public health system and the partnerships we have established to make that possible,” Tufton had said. 

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Chris Gayle thanks PM Modi for India's donation of COVID-19 vaccine to Jamaica - Watch video

Not only Gayle but West Indies’ star all-rounder Andre Russell had also issued a video message to thank PM Modi for the donation. 

"I just want to say a big, big, big thank you to Prime Minister Modi and the India High Commission. The vaccines are here and we are excited. I would love to see the world going back to normal. Jamaica people really appreciate it and just to show that we are more than close, India and Jamaica are now brothers. I appreciate it and stay safe over there. Peace," Russell, also known as Dre Russ, had said. 

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The video was posted by the Indian Embassy in Jamaica. 

Gayle and Russell are among a plethora of players from the West Indies who will be heading to India for the 14th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). The lucrative T20 tournament is scheduled to commence from April 9 with defending champions Mumbai Indians locking horns with Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

While Gayle will be seen playing for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021, Russell will be donning Kolkata Knight Riders jersey for the tournament.