Photo Credit: Cricket West Indies
West Indies talismanic allrounder Jason Holder has urged his teammates to “stay disciplined and be consistent” when they come up against India in the upcoming Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series powered by YES BANK.
Holder forms part of a four-pronged pace attack comprising Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel, who have taken a combined 664 Test wickets, ahead of the first match which is set to bowl off at Windsor Park in Dominica on Wednesday.
“I think our fast-bowling cohort has probably led us over the longest period that I’ve known West Indies cricket and it’s just a matter for us to stay disciplined,” Holder said ahead of the match. “I think we’ve got to be really disciplined. We’re coming up against a really good team and they’ve got some extraordinary batsmen. It’s still bat and ball that we’re playing; our bowlers are experienced, they’ve got a lot of Test wickets and it’s just for us to more or less come out and hit our straps, assess the conditions as quickly as possible and make sure that we make early inroads.”
A former Test captain, Holder has become a staunch member of the Test XI, and has picked up 155 wickets from 62 Tests since making his debut nine years ago. He has been very good with the ball this year in four Tests – against Zimbabwe and South Africa – taking 12 wickets at 21 runs apiece.
Holder said his role on the field was just as important in the dressing room, especially as a senior player and someone who has led the West Indies in all three formats of the game..
“My role is pretty simple. I’ve been around in the dressing room for a while and for me, it’s just to make an environment where everybody is comfortable. I just think it’s really important for the youngsters coming through to be expressive but the only way they can be expressive is if they’re comfortable. So for me, it’s just about making them comfortable and hopefully we can all build a great legacy together,” he said. “I just go through my paces in my preparation. I’ve got a pretty nice routine that I tend to stick to, just trying to get my workloads gradually built up towards the first ball of the first Test match – and that’s with regards to bowling.”
