Kieron Pollard calls Virat Kohli a 'world-class batsman', says India deserved to win

After facing a 67-run defeat in the final T20I against India, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard on Wednesday hailed skipper Virat Kohli and said that Kohli is a 'world-class batsman' and the Men in Blue completely deserved to win the series. India defeated West Indies by 67 runs to pocket the three-match T20I series 2-1. Batting first, the home side posted a colossal 240-3 from their allotted 20 overs. Batsmen Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli smashed sparkling half-centuries to propel team India to their third-highest total in all T20 internationals. In reply, West Indies' run-chase was halted at 173-8 to hand India a series-clinching victory. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Pollard asserted the improper execution of their plan to be the reason for their defeat. 

"He came out, we bowled few deliveries in his slot and he put them away. He (Kohli) is a class batsman and he is going to put away the bad deliveries. Again as I said, it is about execution, if we would have executed our plans, we would not be having these discussions. He is a world-class cricketer. You need to be on point with such class players. They played well and they deserved to win the series," Pollard told reporters.

Pollard kept the Windies in with a chance of winning the match as he played a knock of 68 runs. During his innings, he also managed to bring up 1000 runs in the shortest format of the game.

"It is what it is. They scored 240, we did not execute our plans properly, if we would have got a couple of wickets, we would have been in the game. Chasing the target was not impossible, but yes it was a steep task. We faltered at the end, but I think as a batting unit we were consistent in the series and it is a step in the right direction," Pollard said.

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Virat Kohli's stellar cameo at the Wankhede

Virat Kohli who had come out to bat at number four after the early dismissal of wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant did not take much time to settle down and started targetting the West Indian bowlers in no time. He made the most of the Wankhede wicket and smashed the opposition bowlers to all parts of the ground. Kohli remained unbeaten on a 29-ball 70 which included four boundaries and seven maximums at a strike rate of 241.38. By the virtue of his stellar cameo, the hosts posted a comprehensive total of 240/3 in their 20 overs. KL Rahul top-scored for the Men In Blue with a 56-ball 91 while Rohit Sharma scored a 34-ball 71. The opening duo added 135 runs for the opening wicket.

READ: KL Rahul, Kohli & Rohit fire half centuries as Team India set a massive 240 run target

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