I am definitely up there with greats of West Indies cricket

"I'm definitely up there. I'm definitely up there with the greats without a doubt," Gayle, who came for an interaction after a request from the travelling Indian media contingent, answered it in two straight sentences.

Gayle, who was supposed to retire after the World Cup, has reversed his original decision and will hang his boots after playing a home series against India, a country where he enjoys manic fan following.

"Like I say, I enjoy each and every moment of West Indies, playing for West Indies. Like I said, it's still not the end. I still have a few games to go. Maybe another series to go who knows we'll see what happens," said the soon-to-be 40 Jamaican. Gayle has had a roller-coaster ride in the last two decades for West Indies cricket when the performance of the assortment of islands reached an all-time nadir.

"But like I say, it's been a lot of ups and downs. I have got to say I really enjoy each and every moment. But we share some quality moments with some quality players as well," he said when asked to reflect back on his career in which he has scored more than 18,000 international runs.