By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

New Delhi [India], February 11 (ANI): Former West Indies batting maestro Chris Gayle has rooted for India stalwart Virat Kohli to dethrone him from the summit of the ICC Champions Trophy run-scorers. The explosive southpaw also extended a heartwarming message to Virat's long-time compatriot Rohit Sharma to keep scoring sixes and enjoy his time on the crease for as long as he wants to.

The Champions Trophy is set to return to the lives of cricket fans on February 19 after more than seven years of absence. As the hype around the tournament continues to soar to new heights, so does the talk about Virat's lost form.

Across all formats, Virat seemingly has lost his mojo, which stems from his elongated dry spell with the bat. Despite facing scrutiny, fans and former cricketers have advocated for Virat to regain his lost charm in the marquee event.

Virat has now found support from former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) partner, who has backed him to end the Champions Trophy as the leading run-getter.

'Virat Kohli is 200 runs away, so I'm sure he'll get it. Eventually, another record will be gone. So, like I said, that's the nature of the game, and that's the nature of sport as well,' Gayle said on the sidelines of the Legends League Cricket event.

The 36-year-old star has delivered some of the most memorable ODI performances in the Champions Trophy history. He boasts 529 runs in 13 matches at a jaw-dropping average of 88.16, setting him 263 runs away from breaking Gayle's tally of 791, the highest in the tournament.

'Everybody has a chance to break records and set new records, and that's what we want in the sport as well. So everybody gets a chance to keep the sport growing and make sure everybody is a bit more entertaining as well. Hopefully, it will be a great Champions Trophy, and I wish all the teams all the very best,' he added.

While Gayle expects Virat to break his record, India skipper Rohit bettered the West Indies icon's ODI record over the weekend. During the second ODI between India and England in Cuttack, Rohit breezed past Gayle in the list of most sixes struck by a player in the format.

On his way to a blistering 119, Rohit effortlessly tonked seven sixes and went past Gayle's 331 for the record of second-highest sixes in the ODIs. 'The Universal Boss' was satisfied that 'Hitman' toppled him for the record.

'The Hitman has five double centuries in ODI cricket, so if anybody wants to break a record, you want a quality player like that to actually do such a thing. Like I said, it's great for the sport as well,' he said.

'Keep the sport entertaining, and keep India entertaining as well. We need more sixes, so continue to hit more sixes, Rohit, keep enjoying the game, play as long as possible, as long as you want, and just enjoy it,' he added.

After the conclusion of the third ODI against England, India will shift its focus to the Champions Trophy campaign opener against Bangladesh on February 20. (ANI)