India vs West Indies: Jason Holder and Co should draw inspiration from Zimbabwe's win and play with gusto

If Windies, the ninth-ranked ODI team, needed some inspiration ahead of a must-win encounter against India, they shouldn’t look any further than Zimbabwe. The Graeme Cremer-led side beat Sri Lanka by chasing down 317 with six wickets in hand, in their own backyard to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_3762653” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Windies cricket team. AP[/caption] No side had ever chased down a total in excess of 300 in 295 ODIs in Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe managed it. Solomin Mire’s starred in the memorable win with a scintillating century (112) and was ably supported by middle order batsmen Sean Williams (65), Sikandar Raza (67 not out) and Malcolm Waller ( 40 not out). If Zimbabwe keep performing the way they did in the first ODI it will affect the ICC ODI rankings gradually and Jason Holder and Co could draw some inspiration from them and go into the third ODI in Antigua with much-needed confidence and positive mindset. It is no secret that West Indies have been in the race to attain direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup for quite some time now. Pakistan’s recent title triumph in Champions Trophy 2017 has put them under more pressure as Sarfraz Ahmed’s men rose up to sixth in the ICC ODI rankings. Even Bangladesh have taken giant strides — their recent win against New Zealand in Champions Trophy instantly comes to mind — and with no ODIs lined up in the coming months, it seems unlikely that Bangladesh’s seventh position in ODI rankings would change. Zimbabwe’s record chase at Galle has thrown open the race for the 2019 World Cup. Windies have had their share of problems in recent past, but if Zimbabwe, a nation that is deprived of regular competitive cricket and not so long ago, were struggling to notch up wins against Scotland and Afghanistan, can produce such a result, Windies too must believe they can bounce back in the ODI series. When they walk out to the middle at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua and get into a huddle, Holder and Co should forget the past and have just one motto - “We can do it”!