Denesh Ramdin

Denesh Ramdin has always been a pronounced wicket-keeper but could never justify his batting skills. He is a Trinidadian cricketer who rose through the ranks, after captaining both West Indies U19 and Trinidad & Tobago sides and was always looked like a calm head on strong shoulders, but Ramdin has also had his fair share of controversies.

The Trinidadian debuted for the West Indies, back in 2005, against Sri Lanka and scored 56 in his maiden Test match. His career took off from there, as the keeper-batter hit a gritty 71 Down Under and followed by a fighting 61 against India in 2006. The youngster was impressing everyone with his prowess, especially with his glovework on testing conditions. 

Ramdin was part of the West Indies squad that hosted the 2007 World Cup. However, he saw a dip in form from the pinnacle tournament itself. Both his batting skills and keeping work dropped a notch lower. In 2009, he scored his maiden Test century against England in Barbados, but his continued lack of form pushed him out of the side. Although some ordinary outings in Australia and South Africa resulted in him being dropped from the national team. 

The keeper returned to the West Indies in 2012 on the back of some solid shows in the regional competitions. He was named in the Test squad for the England tour, to score a ton at Edgbaston. During the celebration of his hundred, Ramdin went over the line, when he flashed a note “Yeah Viv, Talk Nah”, addressing Sir Vivian Richards who earlier questioned his contributions. The keeper was heavily criticized for his rude behaviour and fined 20% of the match fee by the referee.

The following year, the Trinidadian was again in the middle of another controversy and this one came during the ICC Champions Trophy. He claimed a catch off Misbah ul Haq, however, the replays told a whole other story. Pakistan batter questioned the keeper’s actions and called them against the spirit of the game. Ramdin was later suspended for two ODIs and fined 100% of his match fees by ICC. 

Ramdin, however, then started showing his mature side, which was reflected in his batting as well. His ODI number saw a spike as he notched more than 500 runs in 2014. Cricket West Indies awarded that and named the keeper-batsman as the Test captain. He started off well as a skipper but again slipped off, and he was dropped ahead of the India series in 2016. 

The Trinidadian remained on the fringes of selection till the end of the 2016 season, before getting dropped from Tests and ODIs. Ramdin remained a T20I regular until he got laid off the shortest format in late 2019, as players like Nicholas Pooran and Shane Dowrich replaced him. However, Ramdin’s contribution can never be questioned as he has been part of a two-time World T20-winning team. 

At the moment, the keeper-batsman regularly represents Trinidad & Tobago in the regional competitions, while he plays an integral part for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League. They would be eyeing to make an international comeback through the 2021 edition of CPL. 

(As of August 2021)