There has been widespread criticism after their poor overall performance in the first Test at Rajkot but West Indies skipper Jason Holder has got back at those people by reiterating perspective that his young and highly inexperienced side is playing the no.1 ranked Test side India in its own backyard. 

“The critics should remember that we are playing the best Test side in its own backyard. And,  the fact that  Windies have not won a Test since 1994 should also remind how tough it is to beat the home team in these conditions,” Jason Holder was quoted saying on Wednesday, October 10. 

He added, “Well, the focus for right now is not to think what the critics have to talk about us, but focus on the cricketing part and keep improving. Everyone has his opinion and I don’t want to get personal in this regard.”

Looking forward to the next match, Holder, who couldn't take part in the first game due to a very untimely ankle injury, firstly cleared on being asked about his fitness, "I will take a call tomorrow(October 11) about my fitness level," and further expressed where and how much his side needs to improve to compete better, by saying, “Test cricket is all about being patient, building long partnerships and sustain pressure for long time. These are the things which we couldn’t do  in the first Test at Rajkot (which India won by a huge margin)." 

“Yes, the bowlers were not as penetrative as they should have been in Rajkot and not having big partnerships like the Indians had in posting such a massive total which actually pushed on to the backfoot,” he emphasized, "We did have a long chat with the bowlers on how to respond when the conditions are not helpful. The emphasis has to be on being skillful, do the holding job better making scoring difficult.”

The second Test at Hyderabad starts on Friday, October 12. 

(Inputs from Sportstar)