Enjoying a bright start to his international career, the Trinidadian left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein is hoping to prove himself as the Caribbean heads into the second One-Day International against India on Wednesday.
The West Indies all-rounder has so far taken 21 wickets in 13 One-Day Internationals and 15 wickets in 18 T20 Internationals. However, the regional squad previously lost the opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, finding itself 1-0 down.
Focusing on ODI
“I think I'm 50-50 perfect proper batsman, proper bowler,” he said during a virtual press conference on Tuesday ahead of the second ODI. “Over the last couple of years, I have played CPL (Caribbean Premier League), different formats and whatnot, and there is where you might find yourself flexed around in the order or may not be given an opportunity with bat, which is fine.
“It's just about reading what type of pitch it is, what type of soil it is, and see what works on the day. Sometimes, you get information and it doesn’t really help you in the match so it’s definitely something that you have to go out there and feel for yourself and you can probably just keep that information at the back of your mind as well.”
Despite his experiments, Hosein said that he "definitely see [himself] as a total all-rounder", adding: "It's just about working my way up the ladder, and hopefully, the world can see that I am a genuine all-rounder.”
Hosein's performances this year have certainly caught the eye of the lucrative Indian Premier League franchises, with the auction for the 2022 season just a few days away. However, Hosein, who is on his first tour of India, says his focus is on winning the ODI first and foremost.
“These two games are very important for me because they will determine the series for us. I’m not really focused on the IPL. I’m focused on the task at hand right now,” he said.
"Yes, we know the IPL is the best league around but, having said that, I think once I do the right things and perform well for my team, other doors will open for me. The focus now is to try to win this ODI series
What to expect
In the first ODI, the West Indies batsmen were tussled back and forth by India’s spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar, who took seven wickets between them.
The regional squad eventually lost the battle by six wickets, after putting just 177 on the board before being squandered in 43.5 overs.
“The conversation after the game was generally about not getting our heads down. Yes, we’ve lost the match and it’s a short series with only three matches but more around the positives we took from the game. Although we lost, there were still positives and it’s just about how we plan to bounce back and come back stronger in the second game,” Hosein admitted.
“We don’t know how the surface might play; it might play the same, it might play better, it might play worse," Hosein answered when asked about the game plan for the second ODI.
"One game plan that we do have no matter what is to just be positive and get ourselves into proper positions. To play strong scoring shots and I think that’s something we’re going to stick with, no matter the surface and conditions. The more we’re able to do those things, we’ll be able to get through it,” he added.
