'Virat Kohli Is The Best ODI Batsman Ever': Jason Holder Hails 'RoKo' Ahead Of IND vs WI ODI Series

India and the West Indies kick off their preparations for next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 with a crucial three-match ODI series, which also sets India's home season in motion from September 27. *Speaking to JioStar*, West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder reflected on Shubman Gill's captaincy, having played under him in the TATA IPL, as well as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's stature in Indian cricket and his first impression of pacer Gurnoor Brar.

Speaking to JioStar, West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder shared his thoughts on his experience of playing under Shubman Gill in the TATA IPL:

“I've played under Shubman. He's a leader. He's not a man of many words, but when he does speak, he's very clear, he's very authoritative as to what he's demanding of the team. He brings a level of calmness and poise, which is always a good trait to have as a leader. Those are things that I really respect about him and loved when I played under him. He's obviously new into his tenure as captain too, so he'll be learning on the job, and no doubt he'll be asking a lot of his players. His senior players have to come up to him and help him out. It's a similar situation with us, too, where Shai has been in the role for a while, but he's still learning on the job, too. It's a never-ending learning curve where, as a leader, as a player, there's never enough information. You're always trying to grab as much as you possibly can to get better. So, Shubman is no different, and I'm looking forward to seeing him, looking forward to playing against him, and I'm expecting a really good contest between both teams.”

On whether Shubman Gill is a bowler's captain:

“I don't know how to differentiate a bowler's captain from a batter's captain, but I could say that he's equally as soft and as giving with both bowlers and batters. I would just tell him what I wanted, we would have a conversation about it. That's primarily when it comes to field setting. He gave me the ownership and leadership to do it the way I wanted to, which is a strong asset for a captain. I never had any issues with Shubman, and he pretty much gave me free rein to set my fields and execute the plans I was looking to execute. It was always real open communication, and one where we shared enough and had that understanding. I really enjoyed playing with him, and hopefully, in years to come, we could continue to play together.”

On Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma:

“When you look at Virat, he is arguably the best player, the best one-day batsman to ever play the game, and one of the best batters to ever play the game. Rohit, when you look at his outstanding one-day record, particularly against West Indies as well, he's done really well. So, the two stalwarts of Indian cricket and world cricket pack a heavy punch. I don't think we have anything in comparison to what they have. Our best batsman and greatest player is Shai Hope, who's done extremely well for himself as well. So, I would put him in that category as well. Three world-class players who've got world-class records, and I'm looking forward to seeing all three of them do battle. It's obviously a keen contest every time I match up against Virat, for example, and I like playing against Rohit because I see them as big players, and I like to get in a contest with big players.”

On Gurnoor Brar's progress having seen him from close quarters at Gujarat Titans:

“He's got a lot of great attributes. When I first saw him run in and bowl, I actually had a quiet chat with Ashish as to how this guy wasn't playing. But, yeah, it's good to see his progress. Good to see him get an opportunity to play for India. He's got a lot of great attributes. Obviously, height is one with which he will be able to extract a bit more bounce; he's got pace, he does a bit with the ball, which I think is important in this day and age. Pace is still obviously in the game and is a massive asset, but skill has to go along with the pace, and he possesses skill as well as the pace. Those are solid attributes to have as a fast bowler, so I would expect him to be a challenge for us. Facing him in the nets and seeing him go about his business in the nets was quite entertaining. I look forward to seeing him not only play against us but have a pretty healthy career.”

Watch the three-match ODI Series of the West Indies tour of India, from September 27 to October 3, 2 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.

Video link: https://youtu.be/X24ex-7bR8Y?si=uc0qQXxz5c6gkRDq

Published on: Monday, September 21, 2026, 06:24 PM IST