Indian skipper Virat Kohli was at his best in the series decider against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium as the right-hander scored a quick-fire 70 off just 29 deliveries.

As everyone praised Kohli for his knock, the West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick felt that Kohli had set a “benchmark” and that is why all West Indies players should work as hard as the Indian captain to achieve their goals

While talking to the press ahead of the ODI series, Estwick talked about how youngsters like Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran must learn from the Delhi-based batsman.

“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,” he said.

When asked about finishing the 3 match T20I series 2-1, the assistant coach said, “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.”

Estwick then talked about the positives of the series as he said, “It’s a learning curve for these young spinners Hayden Walsh Jr, Kharry Pierre, and Roston Chase. It’s all about learning and building blocks for the 2023 World Cup. Once you play against the best, it helps you to raise your game and standard.”

Team India will now take the field against West Indies in a three-match ODI series with the first match scheduled on Sunday (15 December) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

(With PTI inputs)