India probably best ODI team, says Windies skipper Jason Holder

They lost their seventh successive Test series against India recently with two matches getting over inside six days. Jason Holder and his team Windies will be up against even tougher challenges in the five-match ODI series starting in Guwahati on October 21. And the captain has a decent enough idea of what awaits them in the upcoming contest.

The Windies haven’t won an ODI series against India since 2006 and the last time they won a series in the 50-overs format in India was way back in 2002. They have lost seven successive bilateral ODI series against the Men in Blue, looking to avoid yet another debacle this time.

“It won’t be easy with India playing some very good cricket at the moment. They probably are the best one-day side in the world. We expect a tough challenge from them,” Holder, who has been a stand out performer for his team, said at the pre-match press conference.

Jason Holder’s expectations

The Windies are ranked ninth in the International Cricket Council’s ODI rankings – one place worse than their Test rankings – while India are ranked second. The hosts lost their last ODI series in England but thrashed South Africa 5-1 in their den earlier this year. Windies, on the other hand, haven’t won a bilateral series since 2014 when they defeated Bangladesh 3-0 at home.

Speaking about his team’s batting which has failed to deliver on most occasions on this tour till now, Holder said: “It’s a young side, a lot of unfamiliar faces. But it is an opportunity for them to showcase what they got.” The bowling all-rounder said the challenge in the batting-friendly conditions in India would be to get scores over 300 consistently.

“We have not really been able to get consistent scores in excess of 300 which is pretty much a par score and a benchmark in ODI cricket of late. We have spoken this in our dressing room. We need to be hitting the 300-mark more often than not and be consistently doing it,” the 26-year-old further added.

Marlon Samuels to play 200th ODI

Windies have in their ranks veteran Marlon Samuels for the ODI series. The 37-year-old will play his 200th ODI on Sunday, thus becoming only the eighth Caribbean to enter the club. Samuels was part of the Windies side that had beaten India in aanODI series in 2002 and it was his ton in the final ODI which saw his team win the series 4-3.

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