I have been a supporter of Denesh Ramdin ever since he played youth cricket for T&T and the West Indies. I supported him when there were concerted efforts to sideline him as West Indies wicketkeeper in favour of Carlton Baugh. I supported him when there were calls for him to be dropped for his batting even as those picked as batsmen were performing worse than him and still being retained.
But his recent actions, starting with the infamous note to Viv Richards, have left a lot to be desired. Even then, I gave him the benefit of the doubt, thinking he should be forgiven for a one-time, ill-advised lapse in judgment.
However, I was surprised, and disappointed to hear that he was among those supporting the abandonment of the Indian tour, apparently completely unaware of the implications. Even now, he (and Dwayne Bravo) seem to have no remorse about the mess they have created in West Indies cricket, and seem concerned only about their personal aspirations.
His recent remarks concerning his non-appointment as the T&T skipper are the latest source of disappointment. In a release, he states, "I have always been courteous and respectful in my relationship with the T&T Board..." Mere words, apparently, for he shows up to a meeting called by the TTCB one hour late, clad in T-shirt, slippers and short pants. (As an aside, at least, Ramdin showed up; Darren Bravo, who was also invited to the meeting, never did.)
Next, he complains about having to play under someone else for T&T even though he is captain of the West Indies. How childish and immature! If the incomparable Brian Lara, while he was captain of the West Indies, could play under Daren Ganga, why is Ramdin making a big deal out of this?
For one, it will free his mind from captaincy worries and perhaps allow him to perform better as a keeper and batsman. For another, it may disrupt the flow and spirit of the team, as happened in the last four-day tournament.
The T&T team was doing very well under Rayard Emrit. We beat the Windward Islands by 186 runs, the Leeward Islands by an innings and 107 runs, the CCC by 10 wickets and Jamaica by 145 runs. We led Guyana on first innings in a drawn match and lost only to Barbados.
Ramdin comes back from West Indies duty to lead the team in the semi-final against the Windward Islands, a team we had just beaten by 186 runs. The Windwards beat us by 234 runs with Ramdin contributing 25 and 7, and declaring controversially at 140 for 8 when chasing the Windwards first innings score of 248. It appeared that the team, which had gelled nicely under Emrit, was not as united under Ramdin and we paid the price.
Given that Ramdin would be away on West Indies duty for most of the regional four-day season, I submit that his non-appointment as T&T captain is based on sound cricketing reasons and not victimisation, as he claims.
Noel Kalicharan,
via e-mail