Evin Lewis is one of the rising stars from Trinidad & Tobago and has been quite an impressive player in T20s in 2017. The 26-year-old left-hander is an attacking opening batsman who has the ability to send the ball into the third tiers of the stands at will. His exploits in the shorter formats of the game were the reason why Lewis was boight by Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.80 crore in IPL auction 2018. Interestingly, his mentor is also of the same reputation as him. We are talking about none other than the run-machine Chris Gayle. In an interview with ESPNCricinfo when Lewis was asked why he chose Gayle as his mentor, he said,”I hit a lot of sixes, big sixes like him.”
For an upcoming left-handed opening batsman, especially in the modern game, that’s a fairly smart pick. At IPL auctions 2018, Lewis was one of the hottest properties. One thing that the West Indian is sure to give his fans is entertainment and that is what Indian Premier League somewhat stands for- ‘Entertainment at its best.’
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Lewis moved up the ranks playing age-group cricket for Trinidad & Tobago, and was part of a championship winning U19 side in 2008. He made his List A debut in October 2009 and struck an impressive fifty for Windies U19s. The following year in January he was representing them at the Junior World Cup. Just like Gayle, Lewis’ best has come in the T20 circuit. There were a couple of firsts in the Twenty20 match held in Lauderhill, Florida. It was the first time an International match was held at the venue. But Lewis decided to take the game head on, caring very little for reputation or the occasion. Lewis hit the fifth fastest hundred as he reached the milestone in just 48 balls.
The injury to Chris Gayle proved to be a blessing for the 24-year-old, who replaced the star batsman in the playing XI. None of the Indian bowlers came out unscathed as they were butchered by the batting pyrotechnics of the world champions.
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He has always had a reputation for winning matches for his side. In 2013, he was Trinidad & Tobago’s top-scorer in the Champions League with a strike-rate of 141.61. He showed big-match credentials, striking 62 off 46 balls in the semi-final against a Mumbai Indians attack comprising Mitchell Johnson and Harbhajan Singh. The following year, at the Caribbean Premier League, he made 321 runs from eight innings, the most by a T&T Red Steel batsman and only 42 behind Gayle, who had played 11 innings.
