By India Today Sports Desk: Following the triumphant victory of the West Indies against India by 4 runs in the first T20I at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad, multiple reactions poured in from various quarters, with the spotlight focusing on Player of the Match, Jason Holder’s insightful comments.
Holder, who ended the game with impressive figures of 4-1-19-2, acknowledged that the double-wicket maiden in the 16th over of the Indian innings was the deciding factor that swung the game in their favour. Holder also impressed by picking up the wickets of key Indian batters, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
Reflecting on this, Holder stated, “I guess the double-wicket maiden was a turning point. The conditions dictated our total. We made them work hard for their runs.”
Giving credit to the efforts of his team, Holder reflected upon his performance and the journey leading up to the match. He highlighted the importance of the break he took from ODIs, considering his heavy cricket schedule over the past three years.
Leveraging the pause as a well-needed recovery period, he believed it helped him be more productive on the field. “The amount of cricket I have been playing for the last three years is a lot. So the break [from ODIs] was well neededâæ” Holder mentioned.
Summing up the match, the West Indies batted first and set up a formidable score of 150 against India for a total loss of 6 wickets. Thereafter, they successfully restricted India to a score of 135 for 9 in 20 overs.
Further commenting on the team’s performance in defending the set target, Holder shared, “Pleased with the guys. With the quality side that India is, you always think they will chase that… We always wanted early wickets, and put the pressure back on them.”
Achieving a commendable win over a quality side like India, Holder’s determination, coupled with his team’s collective performance, has indeed set a high standard early in the series. Undoubtedly, Holder’s comments have highlighted the essence of strategic planning and execution on the cricket field.
