Ravi Shastri lauds Kane Williamson's composure after World Cup defeat; see tweet

New Delhi: India head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday said New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's composure in viewing the sequence of events was remarkable during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final match.

The final between New Zealand and England at the Lord's Cricket Ground on July 14 could not separate the two sides despite the 50-over match and subsequent super over. England finally were declared the champions on the basis of boundary countback rule.

Shastri, in a tweet, praised Williamson, saying the Kiwi skipper's silence since the match is remarkable. He also conveyed his blessings to Williamson.

"Your composure and dignity viewing the sequence of events was remarkable. Your dignified grace and silence 48 hours since is simply remarkable. We know you have one hand on that WC. You not just Kane. You Kane and Able. God bless," Shastri said.

Williamson, who was adjudged Player of the Tournament, said the loss against England during the final based on the boundary countback rule was pretty hard to swallow.

"I never thought I would have to answer this. It's pretty hard to swallow when two teams have worked really hard to reach this point. It's what it is, the rules were there at the start, no one thought it would come down to this," Williamson said at the post-match press conference.

"It's a pretty hard loss to swallow. The rules are there. It is something you don't consider when you go out to play. I didn't even know what the boundary count was, but we were behind," he added.

This is the second successive time that New Zealand finished as the runners-up in the World Cup. The Kiwis under the leadership of Brendon McCullum lost the final of the 2015 edition to Australia by seven wickets.