PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A West Indies Cricket Board director foresees a difficult time ahead for new Test captain Denesh Ramdin, and says the wicketkeeper/batsman has inherited a “crown of thorns”.
Trinidadian Baldath Mahabir told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper that while Ramdin was capable of handling the position, he warned that leading West Indies was never “an easy assignment”.
Not only would Ramdin be called on to fulfil three aspects of his game – wicketkeeper, batting and captaining – but Mahabir pointed out he now had to face the challenge of pulling the team together as a single unit.
“I think that Denesh has inherited a ‘crown of thorns.’ He has inherited a crown that is not easy to wear and we think that he is capable and hence why he has been given the opportunity,” Mahabir said.
“It is never an easy job to lead men from different backgrounds. Ramdin has to command respect from the guys and the best way to do this is to go about his job in such a way, so as to earn it.
“This is not going to be an easy assignment for him because in addition to being the leader, he has to keep wicket and also bat in the middle/lower order.”
Ramdin was appointed to lead the Test side last Friday after Windward Islands all-rounder Darren Sammy was axed after nearly four years in charge.
The 29-year-old Trinidadian inherits a West Indies Test team that lies eighth in the world rankings and is still reeling from heavy defeats in India and New Zealand last year.
With the Black Caps arriving in the Caribbean at month end for a three-Test series, Mahabir said Ramdin’s first priority would be to make a winning start in his first tour as skipper.
“Ramdin would appreciate the fact that his first assignment is against New Zealand. We have a good record against them in the Caribbean and he would want to get a win to start off his tenure as leader,” said Mahabir.
“He would have to get the players believing in themselves and also buying into the fact that they have one common purpose.”
Ramdin has already led West Indies in one One-Day International and three Twenty20s but is yet to captain in a Test.