Denesh Ramdin is a wicketkeeper-batsman of great potential who many in the Caribbean see as the long-term solution to the void left by Jeff Dujon which has never really been satisfactorily filled. Originally a fast bowler who then kept when he had finished his stint with the ball, at 13 he decided to concentrate on keeping, honing his reflexes and working on his agility. He led both Trinidad & Tobago's and West Indies' Under-19 sides before being selected, aged 19 and with only 13 first-class games under his belt, as first-choice gloveman for the senior squad's tour of Sri Lanka in 2005. He impressed one and all, with his work behind and in front of the stumps, in the series against Australia in November 2005. A plucky 71 - he put on a fine 182-run partnership with Dwayne Bravo - in the second Test of the series in Hobart was his best moment down under. When India toured the West Indies in mid-2006, Ramdin's wicketkeeping was impressive on pitches that often saw the ball dying even before reaching him. His batting was patchy, though a superb calculated assault on the Indian bowlers in the final stages of the Kingston Test proved a fine reminder of his undoubted prowess in that quarter as well. He averaged 18.60 in the 2006-07 season as his batting continued to flounder but, nevertheless, was included in the World Cup squad where, a fifty against Australia aside, his desperate form with the bat continued. Perhaps it was more a sign of how bare the cupboard was rather than Ramdin's dominance that he was the sole keeper picked to tour England in 2007. He didn't have much impact with the bat in the Test series in South Africa later that year, although his glovework was immaculate, and he remained the team's No. 1 keeper.
Martin Williamson May 2008

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Jul 6, 2008 Denesh Ramdin takes a sharp catch to remove Luke Ronchi © AFP

Jul 6, 2008 Denesh Ramdin and Fidel Edwards celebrate the wicket of Shaun Marsh © AFP

Jun 24, 2008 Denesh Ramdin is bowled by Shane Watson © AFP

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