Virat a world-class player, says West Indies bowler after defeat

Virat Kohli batting vs West Indies

India's Virat Kohli is a world-class player says West Indies pacer Kemar Roach, who himself impressed with figures of 3 for 36 in the India vs West Indies match at Manchester on Thursday.

India registered their biggest World Cup win over two-time title holders Windies when Kohli's men beat them by 125 runs.

Virat Kohli top-scored for India with 72 runs and was also awarded the Man of the Match.

"Virat is a class player. The world knows that. It was a slow pitch. I think we bowled really as a group. It was a good task to restrict India to under 270. Virat is a world-class player. It is always tough to play against him," Roach told reporters at the post-match conference.

West Indies had a good start to their World Cup campaign as they thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets. However, the team's performance derailed after the first match as the side failed to spring winning results together.

Roach said it is disappointing to be out of the tournament but said the rest of the matches will allow the team to showcase their skills.

"It's tough to say. I think guys were pretty confident before the World Cup began. We had a good performance against Pakistan, but then we had a couple of close games against New Zealand and Australia. It's tough because everyone wants to get over the line. We are out of the tournament but the rest of the games will allow us to showcase our skills," said Roach.

Roach was the leading wicket-taker for Windies as he scalped three Indian wickets. The bowler said that he was in good rhythm throughout the match and he lauded the bowling attack for restricting India to under 270 runs.

"I thought today I was in a good rhythm. I bowled really well and I was consistent. We as a group really bowled well, restricting India to under 270 was a good job as they are a quality batting lineup," Roach said.

"I trust Jason as a skipper, he has led us well for a couple of years. The bowling group bowled really well. The best ten teams are here in the World Cup and in the remaining matches, it will be important for us to stay positive. India are very smart and they know what they are doing. Playing against them is an eye-opener, one needs to be on their toes always," Roach said.

Indian bowlers were on the mark with all five front line bowlers taking wickets. Mohammed Shami replicated his performance vs Afghanistan with another 4-wicket haul against West Indies.

India will next take on England on June 30th in what will be a must-win game England to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

With inputs from ANI

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