India Vs West Indies 4th ODI: We Knew We Could Beat India, Says Jason Holder

After guiding his team to a brilliant 11-run win over India in the fourth One-Day International on Sunday (July 2), West Indies skipper Jason Holder said his team always believed that it could defeat the Men in Blue with proper application.

The hosts were looking destined to suffer their third consecutive defeat in the series after managing just 189. At 121 for 2, they were looking good to cross the 200-run mark in the series for the first time but the collapse once again came back to haunt them as they fell short by 11 runs. But in the end, the score turned out to be a winning total as West Indies led by their skipper Jason Holder’s career-best figures of 5 for 27 bowled out the visitors for 178.

“We knew we could beat India. Just needed some application,” said Holder in the post-match presentation ceremony.

West Indies made early inroads in the match by dismissing the in-form Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli cheaply as India never managed to get the impetus to chase down the total on a pitch which was two-paced. Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni scored half-centuries but the home side managed to win the match by 11 runs.

“Throughout the series we’ve spoken about taking new-ball wickets. India’s top order has been doing well” said Holder. “It’s all about getting Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat (Kohli) as soon as possible.”

Holder further heaped lavish praise on Kesrick Williams who kept things tight in the final overs. Playing only his second ODI, Williams never allowed Dhoni to break the shackles, conceding just 13 in four overs after the 40th.

“I want to make a special mention of Kesrick Williams – showed a lot of maturity in his second game, showed a lot of heart as well,” said Holder.

Speaking on his performance, Holder said: “I always believe in myself. I thought I was doing fairly well in the series so far. Only criticism was at the back end. Roddy Estwick told me not to try too many things and just stick to my plans, and that’s what I did.”