MUMBAI, India, CMC- Fast bowler Jason Holder says the players joining West Indies for their One-Day Series (ODI) against India are helping to bring a new focus to the side following their heavy losses in the just concluded two-match test series.
West Indies were swept 0-2 in the Test series, losing both matches by an innings inside three days.
However Holder says the ODI squad, which also includes players who represented the Windies in the test series, have brought fresh momentum to their campaign in India.
“Obviously, the guys were a bit disappointed after the Test series, but we have a fresh group of players here now,” Holder told reporters after the visitors trained on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium here.
“We have some of the players from the Test side and a couple of joining players. We have got a new mindset and we have got a new focus. We just have got to focus on the one-day series.”
Other new players joining Windies for the ODI series include the likes of Captain Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, and Ravi Rampaul.
The 6-foot, 8-inch tall Holder, has played just eight ODIs for the Caribbean side, making his debut against Australia earlier this year in Perth.
A graduate of the Sagicor West Indies High Performance Centre based at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies in Barbados, Holder says team morale is high in the Windies camp.
“We are a very confident side at the moment. It is the first series coming after our series against Pakistan at home, which wasn’t the best, but I think we have a side that can turn things around and move forward,” said the 22 year old pacer.
“The morale is very good at the moment. We have put the Test series behind us. We can’t look back and we can’t change it. Looking ahead, I just think the guys need to be positive in the first game and make their mark and get stuck into the series”.
Holder also played in the Indian Premier League earlier this year for Chennai Super Kings, an experience which he believes has helped him to prepare for this series.
“I know much more about the conditions in India and what to expect, but it will be my first time in Kochi and it will be about trying to understand about the pitch there,” he said.
“A couple of guys, I guess, have played in Kochi before, so we are just going to get acclimatised and try to put the best foot forward in the first game.”
West Indies and India play the first of three ODIs on Thursday at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
