Published: Jul 15, 2016, 12:15 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 15, 2016, 12:15 PM (IST)
Denesh Ramdin’s exclusion from the side for the first Test against India raised a few eyebrows. He has been the second most run getter for West Indies in Tests (if we exclude Sir Clyde Walcott) after Jeff Dujon. His batting average has been under scanner of Chairman of selectors- Courtney Browne who himself had an average of 16.12 in Tests, which is below-par to say the least. Ramdin displayed good form in the One-Day International (ODI) Tri-Nation series against Australia and South Africa. Ramdin has 2 half centuries from the previous two Test innings he played against Australia at Melbourne and Sydney. He had gone through a rough patch before that with not a single fifty-plus score in 15 innings. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs West Indies 2016, 1st Test at Antigua
Ramdin expressed his disappointment on Twitter that his average was not deemed fit for playing Tests as he was asked to go back to the four-days regional setup and prove his mettle. Ramdin had to miss out on his probable contract with Barbados Tridents (BT) in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2016 as well. He does not possess an ideal batting average (25.87) for Test cricket but it is satisfactory given the list of wicketkeepers West Indies have had. ALSO READ: Denesh Ramdin’s tweets against WICB chairman of selectors; hints non-selection for India series
If we look at the West Indies’ wicketkeeper-batsmen who have scored more than 1,000 Test runs, Ramdin has the third highest average. Jeff Dujon and Ridley Jacobs have an average of 31.94 and 28.31 respectively. If given a chance Ramdin can surpass Jeff Dujon’s 3,322 runs in Test cricket. ALSO READ: Denesh Ramdin’s possible exclusion surprises former West Indies players
Shane Dowrich has been roped in as Ramdin’s replacement in West Indies Test side. His average in First-Class matches is 36.80 which can be considered as moderate. It still does not justify the exclusion of Denesh Ramdin. West Indies needed a senior player against a strong side like India and Ramdin would have been the perfect candidate for the job.
If not included in the Playing XI, he could have been chosen in the side instead of Rajendra Chandrika. Ramdin has a better batting average in Tests than Chandrika’s First-Class average. Chandrika’s selection in the side raised fingers against the selectors who neglected Jomel Warrican. The 24 year old Warrican looked promising against India in the warm-up match.
Former West Indies wicketkeepers — Jeff Dujon, Deryck Murray and Jackie Hendricks — showed their disappointment with Browne’s decision to exclude Ramdin from the Test side. It kept them puzzled as West Indies top-order has not been performing consistently which has always caused more pressure on Ramdin to perform in the lower middle-order.
Ramdin was in good form during the Tri-Nation series, that was one of the reason which surprised the former West Indies players of his non-selection. He recently became the first West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman to reach 2,000 ODI runs which automatically makes him the leading run scorer for his national team in colour clothing.
After recovering from his sudden omission from the side, Ramdin has showed positive signs and is looking forward to play domestic cricket and pave his way back into the Test side and prove the selectors, in particular, Courtney Browne, wrong.
(Arun Rawal, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a daydreamer, movie buff, and cricket fanatic. He could not play cricket, so did the next best thing, writing for it. He loves to play the flick shot over square leg, and believes Sachin Tendulkar is God. His Twitter handle is @ArunRawal93)
