With the Asia Cup now over, India’s attentions shift to the two-Test series against the West Indies starting on Thursday.
The series will see No1 ranked India lock horns with a West Indies side ranked eighth in the format but that fact is not discouraging the skipper of the Caribbean side.
Jason Holder and his men are coming into the tour on the back of some form in the five-day format. They held Sri Lanka to 1-1 draw earlier at home before beating Bangladesh 2-0.
This form should bode well for their chances against the formidable Indians according to the West Indies skipper.
“We have played some really good cricket in recent times. Quite a few of our guys really stood out individually and we have to keep that collective strength. India is the No.1 Test team,” Holder was quoted as saying by the Hindu.
“They have played some good cricket despite their last series (against England). It will be a good test for us. We have to just focus on the two Test matches.”
Holder, whose men drew the two-day warm up game against a Board President’s XI on Sunday, believes the team’s training camp in Dubai should hold them in good stead for the two Tests.
The West Indies beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their last Test series.
“We have just come from Dubai. We had a really good camp there,” he stated. “It’s really hot there and we got accustomed to the heat that is similar to the one in India. We also had a practice game which went pretty well. We will utilise this two-day game the best way we can before the first Test.”
While No1 ranked Test batsman Virat Kohli will pose a big challenge for the Windies’ bowlers, the 26-year-old feels focusing on just one player will be a mistake.
“India has some really good players. They are the No1 team in the world and that cannot be done by just one player (Kohli). India has a good team,” Holder added.
The first Test between the two sides gets under way at Rajkot on October 4.