West Indies seam-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder has offered a rare first-hand assessment of Shubman Gill's leadership, describing India's ODI captain as a man who speaks sparingly but with unmistakable authority — and rating Virat Kohli as 'arguably the best one-day batsman to ever play the game.' Holder's remarks, shared in an interview with JioStar, come ahead of a three-match ODI series between India and West Indies beginning 27 September.

Holder on Gill's Leadership Style

Holder, who played under Gill at Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026, spoke warmly of the young skipper's composure. '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,' Holder said.

The veteran all-rounder acknowledged that Gill is still early in his captaincy tenure. '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,' he noted, drawing a parallel with West Indies captain Shai Hope, who he said is also on a continuing learning curve.

Bowler-Friendly Approach and Open Communication

Holder revealed that Gill empowers his bowlers by giving them ownership over field placements and game plans. '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,' he said.

Holder described the working relationship as one built on candid, open dialogue. 'It was always real open communication, and one where we shared enough and had that understanding. I really enjoyed playing with him,' he added.

Kohli, Rohit Sharma Called 'World-Class' Challenges

Turning his attention to India's experienced batting core, Holder reserved special praise for 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,' Holder said.

He placed West Indies' own Shai Hope in comparable company, describing all three as 'world-class players who've got world-class records.' Holder added that he personally relishes the challenge of facing both Kohli and Rohit. 'I like to get in a contest with big players,' he said.

High Praise for Pacer Gurnoor Brar

Holder also singled out India's tall fast bowler Gurnoor Brar for praise, recalling his surprise at not seeing Brar in action earlier. 'When I first saw him run in and bowl, I actually had a quiet chat with Ashish Nehra (head coach) as to how this guy wasn't playing,' he said.

Holder highlighted Brar's combination of height, pace, and skill as a potent package for the series ahead. '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,' he observed, adding that he expects Brar to 'have a pretty healthy career.'

Holder himself has been rested from the India tour; the ODI series gets under way on 27 September, setting up what promises to be a compelling contest between two sides led by captains still sharpening their leadership craft.