Campbell looking to cement Windies team spot

Just over six months ago, 25-year-old Jamaican opening batsman John Campbell realised one of his boyhood dreams. That dream for the boy from Jackson, St Mary, was to represent the Windies in Test cricket. The opponents then were England, and Campbell made a relatively decent debut at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, scoring 44 and 33 runs in his two innings.

He went on to score 176 runs in six innings to help the Windies win the Test match, and eventually, the series 2-1. That success prompted the selectors to give Campbell a run in the one-day internationals (ODI), where the left-hander had a modest average of 17.25 runs in four innings.

Fast-forward to May of this year, and the former Tacky High School player went back to the drawing board and did some work in the nets, which paid an immediate dividend.

On the tour of the UK, Campbell scored his maiden ODI century, 179 in his only game of the tour against Ireland before a back injury forced him to the sidelines.

In that match, Campbell and Shai Hope scripted a world record 365-run partnership for the first wicket.

Having recovered from injury, Campbell has been selected to represent the Windies in the upcoming Twenty20 (T20) and ODI series against India, starting on Saturday, and the former Windies under-15 and -19 player is relishing the opportunity.

Showcase my talent

"I must say that I am really happy to be given the chance once again to showcase my talent to the Caribbean fans," Campbell told STAR Sports. "I am recently coming off injury and had a few ODI games against India 'A,' where I didn't get many runs due to rustiness, but I know that once the T20 and ODI series against India start, I am going to be ready for the challenge."

Campbell, who plays locally for the St Ann parish cricket association, says he wants to solidify himself at the top of the order in all formats of the game.

"I know I have the talent," he said. "Sometimes it's a mental thing. It's just for me to go out there and make big scores. My role is to give the team a good start, and I have got a lot of starts in my brief career. But I believe if I apply myself some more, I can be more consistent, scoring big runs in all formats of the game, and be productive to a level that I can be a permanent fixture."

The 25-year-old Campbell says he is also relishing the opportunity to play alongside veteran batsman Chris Gayle once more, having gotten the chance to open the innings with the self-proclaimed 'Universe Boss' during the England series.

"Chris Gayle has helped me in many ways," Campbell said. "One of the best pieces of advice he gave me was when we were batting he told me that I had more time to play my shots, more than I think. I will never forget that because immediately, I started to get more and more patient and I started to reap the benefits."

Campbell said he has also received advice from another West Indian legend in Desmond Haynes.

"I remember before I played my first Test match in Barbados and Desmond Haynes came to me and said he liked my aggressive approach to the game," he shared. "However, he said I should be more relaxed and more selective in my shot making. That kind of advice I will cherish and, hopefully, in the future good things will come."

Another opportunity that Campbell is relishing is playing alongside one of his cricketing idols in Virat Kohli of India.

"I must say that Kohli is one of if not the best batsmen in the world," Campbell said. "His consistency is remarkable, and I know it is going to be a tough series, and I hope I can take a lot away from the experience of playing against him."

In his only T20 international innings to date, Campbell has scored just 11 runs. He has played six one-day internationals, scoring 248 runs at an average of 49.60.