West Indies captain Jason Holder is looking to take inspiration from the knocks of Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite after suffering an innings defeat against Australia in the first Test in Hobart.

Bravo was the lone batsman to put up a fight in the first innings as he scored 108 runs before being the last man to be dismissed.

In the second innings it was Brathwaite, who fought with a knock of 94 runs, while the rest of the top order fell for single digit scores.

Praising Bravo and Brathwaite for their knocks, Holder urged the team to draw inspiration from the duo.

“I think you need to look at inspiring performances, like how Darren Bravo played.

“He just showed that once he applied himself and spent some time in the middle that runs could be made out there.”

“The way Kraigg Brathwaite played in the second innings (was impressive), a real fighting innings.

“He pushed for a hundred but unfortunately didn’t get it.

“We just need to look at those inspiring performances, and probably look back to performances where we’ve done well in the past, and just try to relive those moments and bring it into this Test series.” 

West Indies are yet to win a Test under Holder captaincy thus far.

Admitting that it has been tough times, Holder expressed that the West Indies can only turn things around by performing better in every department.

“The results haven’t gone my way and it’s been tough times.

“But I can think back, that for a number of years West Indies cricket has been like this.

“I’m not making any excuses for anybody, but at the end of the day it’s a situation most of us have found ourselves in [before].

“We need to find a way to pick ourselves up and turn things around.

“The only way we can turn it around is by performances.

“Definitely the batsmen need to take the onus upon themselves and make runs and with ball in hand the bowlers need to do similar by taking wickets.

“That is the only way we can move forward.” 

In their first innings, Australia scored 583 runs at more than five runs an over as the West Indies bowlers struggled to put a challenge.

After the end of the play on day one it was reported that the West Indies fast bowlers were reluctant to bowl into the wind from the river end at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart.

Dismissing such reports Holder clarified that the strategy was to rotate the bowlers effectively with the injury to Shannon Gabriel.

“Just to clarify the situation, I woke up this morning and saw some comments made about [Darren Bravo] having had a conversation with Tom Moody after the first day’s play about bowlers being reluctant to bowl from a particular end.

“That wasn’t the case.

“The case was, basically, the fast bowlers struggled coming into the wind and I just felt it easier to rotate them at the top end, coming down the slope.

“After losing Shannon, we were a bowler short, so it was easier to rotate the three fast bowlers from the top.” 

Gabriel, who picked up an ankle injury during the first innings will now fly back home to Trinidad to continue his rehabilitation.

West Indies have Carlos Brathwaite in their squad already while the selectors will name a replacement for Gabriel shortly.

Stating that losing Gabriel to an injury was a big loss, Holder is confident that the player chosen as a replacement will be able to perform as per expectations.

“It is a big loss for us.

“Shannon brings pace, he brings aggression and he looked pretty good in his first spell [on Thursday] especially, and also in his second spell.

“But I have full confidence in our replacements.

“We have Carlos Brathwaite [who is] yet to play a game, he’s no doubt a worthy replacement, and whoever comes from the Caribbean I’m sure will pick up the slack.” 

The second Test match of the ongoing series will be a Boxing Day game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which last hosted an Australia-West Indies game in December 2000.

© Cricket World 2015