By Vipul Kashyap

New Delhi [India], February 26 (ANI): Former South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs believes India stalwart Virat Kohli can play for 'as long he wants to,' considering his knack for scoring runs and staying fit is intact at the age of 36.

Virat lived up to his reputation as 'Chase Master'. He orchestrated a flawless route for India to chase a 242-run target against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday in the Champions Trophy.

With Virat roaring back to form with his imposing swagger and mojo, Gibbs believes the 36-year-old can go and mesmerise the spectators with his on-field performances for as long as he wants to.

'Look, he can go on for as long as he can. His fitness is not an issue. His desire and his hunger to score runs are still very much there. It's up to him how long he wants to play. He's that good. And as I said, he's kept himself in fantastic condition, and it's lovely,' Gibbs told ANI during the India Corporate T20 Bash league.

Virat paced his knock well, frustrated Pakistan with constant strike rotation and put the final nail in the coffin with a picture-perfect shot to hit the winning runs and celebrate his record-extending 51st ODI century.

Not only did he better his record, he became the fastest to reach 14,000 ODI runs during the process. With a record-breaking century, Virat sent his critics to bed, who questioned his place in the squad after an underwhelming Test tour of Australia.

'I think India is a happy place when Virat Kohli scores runs. He's such a huge favourite amongst everybody in the world in cricket. I hope he scores many more hundreds,' he added.

Virat isn't the only Indian who has grabbed the headlines with his swashbuckling display. Shubman Gill has found his groove and exhibited consistency after putting in hard yards in the Indian domestic circuit.

Cut to a frail figure in Australia like many Indian stars, Gill returned to the ODI format and raised the bar with his rollicking performances during the buildup to the Champions Trophy.

He ended the three ODIs against England as the leading run-getter with a whopping 259 runs to his name. Gill continued his scorching form in Dubai and scored 101* against Bangladesh. In the high-stakes clash against Pakistan, Gill topped up his eighth ODI ton with a solid 46.

Gill's recent display has left Gibbs in love with his approach.

'Look, I love his approach. I love the way he uses his feet to the fast bowlers. Obviously, he's learned a lot from Rohit (Sharma) and Virat, but he's embraced the opportunity to play international cricket and is thriving.I like the way he approaches it. He's also very hungry for runs. Once they get 100, they want to get big hundreds, irrespective of what format you play,' he said.

'He's got that approach and got that attitude. And as I said, I've said it many times at the moment, India, in regards to all the formats, is in a very healthy space with the amount of depth they have as far as the talent is concerned. So it's a nice place for them to be in, I think. It's going to be difficult to make the squad. So, yeah, I think there are exciting times for Indian cricket,' he added.

Actor Sonu Sood, who was also present during the event, hoped India would continue its dominant performances in the Champions Trophy, 'India against Pakistan is always exciting. Virat scored an incredible century. I hope he keeps on playing like that.' (ANI)