Jason Holder Holder stays optimistic despite ODI, T20I losses

Jason Holder celebrates a wicket

West Indies captain Jason Holder has put up a brave front even after losing the T20I and ODI series to India. Holder said that that his players are in a positive frame of mind and are equally excited for the start of the Test World Championship.

West Indies will host India for the two Test-match series, with the first one starting on Thursday.

Speaking to media ahead of the big clash, the West Indies captain said: "The mindset of the team is very positive as this is the start of a brand new series at home so we begin with great confidence. We have been playing some good Test cricket over the last few years and we have been able to put together some good series wins."

"If we want to beat the top teams, we need to be up for the challenge. I am personally looking towards the challenge of playing against Virat and (Ravichandran) Ashwin. I think from a team perspective, we get the best out of ourselves when we play against the best, we tend to go hard at them," he added.

"The start of the ICC World Test Championship is something special... it brings something extra special to the Test match format and the players know what's at stake and how we plan to go about our business."

"Kemar and Shannon have been outstanding for us in the last few years. They always rise to the challenge and our bowling attack has been one of the main reasons why we have improved in Test cricket. We talk about batting well in partnerships, but it is also crucial to realise you have to bowl in partnerships as well," Holder said.

Further speaking on himself, he said his main focus is to win matches for the team.

"It's good to be listed as the Number 1-allrounder, but my aim is to win matches for West Indies. I enjoy Test cricket, the battles, the challenges... when I get the ball I look to hold down an end and let the quicker bowlers do their work at the other end," Holder said.

"With the bat, I look to build partnerships and look to get up to solid scores," he concluded.

Jason Holder's captaincy is under question after finishing eighth on the World Cup 2019 table while playing with a strong team. Jason Holder has also been extensively criticised for his individual performances in the last few months.

With inputs from IANS

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