Virat Kohli stood out apart from his fellow teammates with a sublime century in the ongoing first Test at Edgbaston against England. Kohli was wonderful in shepherding the tail to take India to a respectable position in the first innings.

His former partner in crime at Royal Challenger Bangalore team, Chris Gayle has called Virat Kohli an inspiration.

"I saw highlights of Virat's knock and it was just fantastic. He has the ability to inspire his whole team. The way he batted with the lower order on Thursday, it just showed that his batting partners wanted to perform for their captain," the Jamaican powerhouse said.  

Gayle said, "Virat as a captain is not in the face of his teammates. He lets you do your (own) thing. He is fearless and that shows in his cricket. Mentally he is very strong. When you can get your players to fight for you and your country, that's when you are a good leader. He is definitely inspirational."

Gayle further talked about the regulations of bat size and said, "They have changed the bat law and cut down the size of the bat because the bowlers were complaining. I am really hurt and disappointed. We both (batsmen and bowlers) are disappointed in certain areas when the laws change. The changes are to improve the sport - some may be happy with them but others are not."

39 –year-old Universe Boss also spoke about his future and said, "I don't know about Test cricket, the objective at the moment is 50-over World Cup in 2019. Then we have the T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021. I'll look at taking part in those as well. I'll sit down with the captain, coach and selectors and let them know how we can prolong my career and look after the body as well."

"I'll look to keep playing in the leagues as much as possible to remain more active," Gayle, who was announced as the brand ambassador for online gaming portal 'Adda52', said.

(with inputs from timesofindia.com)