Need disciplined bowling, clinical batting: Holder
VISAKHAPATNAM:A score of 322 may look good to defend on any regular day, but not when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in full flow. West Indies learned it the hard way as the two India batsmen fired centuries to take the game away in the first ODI in Guwahati.
Windies captain Jason Holder, however, is focusing on the positives. “Getting 320 is a positive for us and we can build on that. We have all seen how the conditions can be in India. Here the par score can be anything... 320, 340, 350 and you need to bowl ridiculously well to defend it,” he said on the eve of the second ODI here.
“If we had taken a few more wickets, had broken that Viratrohit partnership, it could have been different. It’s a tough game when you put runs and are never too sure if it is enough or not. Obviously our bowlers were dictated and struggled against Kohli and Rohit. We need to be more disciplined in bowling, a bit more clinical with the batting, like how Rohit and Virat went the distance after India lost an early wicket.”
H e added that spinners would need to come good on the ACAVDCA Stadium track. “I had a look at the wicket, there is no grass on the track. We know that spinners do pretty well here. Our spinners did not do that well in the last game, also credit to the Indians for giving a good show. I felt Bishoo came good in the second spell and looked a lot better. He was able to get the wicket of Kohli which will give him confidence. I want him and Ashley Nurse to be a bit more expressive,” he said.
Playing with a young bunch of players, Holder said that it is easy to recover from the setbacks in the Test series and the first ODI.
“It’s not too hard to be motivated as it’s a young group who are eager to prove themselves when given an opportunity, showcase what they can do. Motivation is easy. It’s about coming together more as a team,” he said.
“For this tour, we just want to give everyone opportunities which can help them grow. World Cup is next year and we have got a young group. It’s about knowing what it takes to perform at this level. Everybody gets a game.”
Holder felt that a few wickets in the initial overs may help them put more pressure on India. “In limited overs cricket, in these conditions, you need to utilise the new ball. This is an area every team targets. We want to take few more wickets with the new ball. We got one wicket in the last game. If we can get two or three wickets upfront, it will help us put pressure on the middle-order,” he said.