Ahead of the tough ODI series against India, West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick has asked the youngsters of his team to take inspiration from Virat Kohli. The India skipper, who is currently the top-ranked ODI and Test batsman, turned out to be the difference in the T20I series which India won 2-1. Kohli played two sublime knocks in the series and India won both of them.

In the series opener, India had their back against the wall after being given a massive 208-run target. However, Kohli came up with a career-best performance, slamming 94 not out of just 50 balls to take his team home. In the second game, he failed to deliver and was out for just 19. But in the third game, he was back to his usual best and slammed 70 not out off just 29 to help India win the game by 67 runs and win the series.

Virat Kohli – The benchmark

As West Indies gear up for the tough series, Roddy Estwick hailed Virat Kohli as the benchmark. During a media interaction ahead of the series, Estwick said the team’s young cricketers like Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran must learn from Kohli.

“It’s exciting times for us when you look at guys like Hetmyer, Pooran and Hope. We have got young batsmen who are developing. But the key thing is how you prepare to work hard. You have got a benchmark in Virat Kohli. He is somebody who will be in the gym and work very hard,” Estwick said.

“A lot of players can learn from him. Then, we have got a chance. Without hard work, there is no success. Hard work is boring but it can give you great success. Once they keep working and dealing with the process, they will have a chance,” he added.

Estwick further praised West Indies players, saying that they have been brilliant on the tour so far. At the same time, he also cautioned them not to get carried away and advised them to keep working hard. He also said the West Indies team had done well to bridge the gap with India in the T20s and hoped to do the same in the ODIs too.

“They have been brilliant on this tour, we can’t fault them. They have worked really hard. They are beginning to see the results. If you look at Hetmyer’s play in the T20s, it was exciting. Now, we move to a longer format. People forget the fact that at a very young age, he already has four ODI hundreds. Obviously, there is a lot of talent there. In cricket, you cannot rest and relax.

“We are happy with the way we performed in the T20s. When these two teams played three T20s in the Caribbean, the gulf between them was wide. We are happy that we have narrowed that gap (in the T20 matches) and hope to do the same in 50 overs,” he further added. The three-match ODI series will start in Chennai on Sunday (December 15).

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